How to Move Through a Line Faster

We hate waiting in line.

Waiting brings out the worst in us. 

Partly what makes us hate waiting in line is that the rules are clear. It's black and white. There's no room for grey. 

The rules are ingrained in us before we even start our formal schooling.

I teach nine year olds. Do you know what the number one grievance I hear on a daily basis? So-and-so cut me. After nine years of teaching, the tattle makes my right eye twitch.

We teach our kids the rules of the line long before nine though. 

In traffic, we become irate if someone cuts in front of us. Or if someone runs a stop light or goes too early at a four way stop. 

If we are waiting for a parking spot, we threaten anyone who even looks at our parking spot with a gaze that can kill. 

At the grocery, we become better than any analyst employed by ESPN. Our brains are capable of pulling off things computers can't. We can look at the lines and the cashier and make an informed decision about which one we will spend the less time in. 

And we won't even consider what the 20 items or less check out lane does to our soul. 

If one could lose their salvation, it would be in the drive-thru at McDonald's. Pretty sure the devil camps out there. 

The thought of someone breaking the rules raises our heart rate. And if someone is actually brave enough to do it...well that will ruin our day and we know where those people are headed. 

However, how you wait in lines are a mirror into your heart. Those feelings reflect what is going on in your heart. They reveal how you are maturing as a Christian.

Talk about a gut check?

Any time God wants to spiritually humble me, He places my feet in a line. Lines make your heart do a lot of talking.

In a line, you don't hear Jesus saying the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Even though He wasn't talking about waiting in a Starbucks. 

Lines bring about feelings of entitlement. Like I was here first and so I will assert my will over yours. I belong here and you don't.

We ignore what Paul taught us that we should consider others better than ourselves. But in a line the rules are clear, so this is okay, right?

We boldly ignore Jesus' command to love others. To lay down our lives for our friends. We won't even allow someone to have a better parking spot. 

We roll our eyes and get irritated with the people around us. This doesn't sound like love. 

It feels as if all the fruit the Spirit has been carefully tending to grow into something special becomes spoiled by a worm. Even though that's not true. 

What are you to do? 

Anytime you are somewhere where you are clearly first and right, you need to keep the entirety of the gospel in your mind and heart. (That's easy enough, huh?) Don't let things as trivial and temporary as your place in line or a parking space steal the joy and peace in your life. Be mindful of those feelings and thoughts and take them captive as the Apostle Paul taught.

You won't physically move through the line quicker, but you'll be able to see tangible evidence of the Spirit's work in your life.

Confession: I actually wrote this on my phone while waiting in line. I didn't like what I saw in myself. 

How do you do waiting in line?

"Being a Christian is Too Hard..."

We like to complicate things. The more complicated something is the better it has to be, right?

Unfortunately, we take this mindset into our faith.

We complicate things.

Why? Because that's what we do. Perhaps you aren't growing in your relationship with Jesus because you find it too difficult. Being a Christian is too hard. The requirements are too much. You're embarrassed of your past. You don't have enough time. You don't know where to start and the finish is too far away. There's just too much to do that it can be daunting.

If you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus, start by doing this one thing.

Sit down and open up your Bible and read. It's simple. Read a Psalm. Begin in one of the gospels. Read a verse. Read a chapter. It really doesn't matter how much you read.

Wait one second before you click on your next link. You might think this is oversimplifying things. You already know you should read your Bible.

But answer this question: how many times did you read the Bible last week? In the last month?

If your answer is zero (and don't feel too badly if it is), then this is the one thing you need to do.

If you didn't read the Bible a single time, then the first time you do that is a 100% increase. Do it seven days in a row and that's 700% growth! Don't worry about how much you read at first. Don't think because you only read a verse or a chapter that it's not enough. We also need to get over our "all or none" mindset. Three minutes reading the Word is better than none.

Tonight place your Bible by your coffee pot. When you wake up, pour yourself a cup of coffee. Instead of turning on the Today Show with Matt Lauer (which will be difficult because he's one cool cat), read a couple verses or a chapter.

Don't use an app to read the Bible. Nothing is wrong with it, but using your phone or tablet is distracting and you'll want to check on other things. Also, there's something about paper on your fingertips.

Are you still skeptical that this will improve your relationship with Jesus?

Jesus' earthly brother James said that if we will come near to God then God will come near to us (James 4:8). Creating a habit of reading the Word every day is an act of drawing near to Him. Not only that but you are reading what God says. While you don't always hear God when you pray, you can always hear him when you read His Word.

Give this one thing a try. Don't worry about how simple it is. God likes to keep some things simple for us. If you haven't been reading your Bible, do it. You can do it. This one thing can help grow your relationship with Jesus.

McDonald's All Day Breakfast

Have you heard that McDonald's is now serving all day breakfast?

My father-in-law will be tickled. For years he's been saying that a fast food joint should do this. And I quote, "How hard would it be to keep a little biscuit, sausage, and egg warm all day?" Such wisdom.

I hate to brag, but we were one of the first to enjoy this opportunity. It was by happenstance. We were out late and hadn't had supper, so we pulled into a McDonald's, ordered our food, and pulled up to the window. We saw a sign "All Day Breakfast beginning October 6th." It was just past the stroke of midnight on the sixth. My father-in-law's words went from wisdom to prophetic. 

I have to say I'm pretty pumped. No more getting to McDonald's at 10:20 on Saturday only to order at 10:31 and miss breakfast. You've been there.

The next day we saw this little plane flying around with the banner. Yes, there is something exciting about a plane flying around with a banner. Everybody points. But, I looked at Lacey and said two words, "Wasted advertisement." 

Why was it wasted advertisement? 

We found out about all day breakfast on accident. 

Chances are relatively few people saw this plane flying. We were in a major metropolitan area, but to see the banner you had to be in the right place at the right time looking in the right direction. The vast majority of people are going to find out about McDonald's all day breakfast by doing what they naturally do--show up at a restaurant and look at the menu. 

Our Christian lives should be no different. 

You shouldn't waste advertisement.

Biscuit & Gravy: Friday Five

Here are five suggestion of things I've been enjoying:

1) Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks. This is in honor of National Coffee Day this past Tuesday. Normally, I don't like caramel in my coffee, but this is tasty. On a side note, Starbucks has released their Holiday Blend 2015. Every year I love those beans. This year not so much. Have you tried it?

2) Body Glide. This one is personal (but hey, that's never stopped me before). But there isn't a product out there right now that I'm happier with. If you are a runner or workout and have ever had chafing issues, this is a God send. Think: manna from heaven. Even if you have to endure an awkward moment when you purchase it from a college girl at the athletic store. But hey, I can now put on a shirt again without crying.

3) Promised Land by Derek Prince. Cats out of the bag on this one. Derek Prince was a charismatic teacher. Does this Baptist care? Nope! In his book Promised Land, he looks at Scripture, personal events, and history to give a close examination of Israel. The book was fascinating (if you're interested in Israel, that is). And, no, you won't start praying in tongues because you read the book.

4) Blimey Cow. Isn't YouTube great? I watch more YouTube than television these days. Blimey Cow is a YouTube station. Give a few Christians a camera and a strong wifi connection and this is the stuff that should happen. Think of the blog Stuff Christians Like but it's a YouTube channel. Funny stuff!

5) Flipboard. A friend recommended this app. I gave it a try and absolutely love it. If you don't know what Flipboard is, it is a news and magazine app where you can choose what interests you. It's attractive and fun to use. Next week, I'm going to work getting on getting Christian Gravy on there.

Top to Bottom Voices

Doesn't it stink how quickly things can change?

You can go from the top of the mountain to the deep valley in a matter of weeks, days, hours...or even a few seconds.

Most of the time it's because of the voices we listen to.

You listen to voices that you shouldn't. 

Often it's a whisper from the enemy. It doesn't take much. He's that good at what he does (stealing, killing, and destroying). Or it comes from a friend or a foe. Maybe that voice is an echo from your past. A one liner that a parent, teacher, a boyfriend, wife, bully, or coach put into your head and now it creeps back in and wrecks you still.

You refuse to listen to the voices that you should. 

You don't cling to what God say you are in His word. You ignore your value based on Jesus' sacrifice. You easily forget the kind compliments people have made about you. The encouragement of the past is just that...the past. You forget that people do really love and care about you for who you are.

It doesn't take much to go from the top to the bottom.

Let me give you a real life sample.

Christian Gravy saw more traffic last month than ever in the four years I've been blogging.

You would think that would bring about excitement, feelings of accomplishment, and thankfulness. One might think I was on top of the mountain.

And I was.

And then I wasn't.

My last two posts weren't as successful as I thought they should be.

I went from feeling on top to wondering if I was wasting my time. I listened to the wrong voice.

Wow! Isn't it amazing how quickly everything can change even when you have tangible proof in front of you?

So how do you combat the changes?

If the voice is trying to steal joy in your life, then shut it up.

If the voice tries to kill something you feel called to, whether it is a task or a relationship, you don't listen.

If the voice tries to destroy the good things you are doing, tune it out.

Listen to the voice that speaks life, light, and truth into your heart. Read your Bible and cling to promises that God has proclaimed about you. You will always battle going from the top to the bottom, but there are things you can do to stay grounded.

Whose voice will you listen to?

What Kind of Christian Are You?

Fall is my favorite time of year.

So I hit the trails at Mammoth Cave National Park yesterday.

Autumn was all around. Fall flowers were in full blossom. The foliage was changing. Squirrels were busy preparing for winter. Birds were singing about how much they love this time of year. The temperature and weather were just so right. It reminded me of why I love living in Kentucky.

The middle of the path was decorated by different species of gorgeous fall flowers. Like the one seen above. The flowers were out of place, but I thought it only highlighted their splendor.

And then it hit me.

Jesus' words fell into my heart.

My favorite parable.

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:3-9, NIV. Emphasis mine.)

Within yards of the first flowers, I saw this one.

Not nearly as pretty.

I knew that all the flowers on the path would share the same fate. They didn't have long to live. It didn't matter how beautiful they were. All of them would be scorched and would whither because they had no root.

Jesus went on to explain the parable to his slow-witted disciples.

I began wondering what kind of soil I am.

Do you ever wonder what kind of Christian you are?

My fear is that I'll become like the seed that fell on the rocky places. Although, I'm probably more likely to become like the soil where the seed fell among the thorns. Worries and pleasures of life can be attractive to the believer.

My prayer and desire is to be the good soil that produces a crop. That is probably your prayer, too.

Do a quick check to see what kind of soil you are. Spend some time reading Matthew 13:1-23 or Luke 8:1-15 for yourself.

Does it even matter? Can you change the type of soil you are?

Ironically, I was in a prairie restoration site where the land had been changed back to its original likeness. Why? The National Parks Service says, "The goal of ecosystem restoration is not to replace a static picture of the past. Instead, the National Park Service works to remove the barriers to ecosystem recovery."

Perhaps you can't change the type of soil you are, but the Holy Spirit can.

After you reflect, if you don't like what you see, pray that the Holy Spirit guides you into the necessary changes you need to make. These changes aren't so that you can reclaim a static picture of the past or that of being a "good" Christian. Rather the changes are so that barriers can be removed and recovery can take place in your heart and soul.

Monday Dread or Delight

It's Monday!

Or as they say in Español, "¡Es lunes!" Or something like that. (Monday might not sound any better to you in Spanish, but if Spanish is the language of love, it was worth a shot.)

All kinds of emotions come piggybacking on Mondays.

For some it is dread and for others delight.

I feel blessed to have a job that I love. If you don't know, by day I am an elementary school teacher. The people I work with are incredible. They make work fun. The people I work for are empowering. They allow us space to work freely. My students remind me every day (well, almost every day) why it was that Jesus loved kids so much during his stay here.

Nothing like someone being cheerful on a Monday morning, huh?

Maybe right now you are feeling the opposite. You feel like throwing up.

Maybe you are dreading work.

That's okay; you aren't alone.

Christian, whether your Monday brings delight or dread, it's important to remember this:

Your work is not who you are.  

I really enjoy my job and find fulfillment in it. But teaching is what I do, it is not who I am. Likewise, if you hate your job, it isn't who you are.

If work doesn't determine who you are, what does?

It's really simple for the Christian. Jesus has decided for us.

Paul informed us that "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). You are a child of God.

Peter let us know that we are chosen and chosen for a purpose. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).

While Christ determined who you are, you still have a huge role to play on this side of eternity. This is one of those times where the saying, "Jesus loves you, but everybody else thinks you are a jerk" might apply.

Jesus said that he is the vine and we are the branches. You are a branch. Embrace your inner branch (whatever that means). Stay connected to the vine and you enjoy the promise of bearing fruit. Disconnect from the vine and you are useless (John 15:5).

Perhaps you don't like Mondays. Perhaps you hate your job. Perhaps you love it and you find your fulfillment in it. It doesn't matter either way. Just know that your work is not who you are. Christian, who you are is found in Christ.

Let that drive you today and every other day for that matter.