How Much is Enough?

I taught from Luke 10:25-37 last Sunday. I didn’t choose it; it chose me. You know how it is with Sunday School curriculum; you just go with the flow.

But as I was studying for and even presenting the lesson, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t done with it. Nope, it felt like a review – a pop quiz – might be in store.

And, sure enough, on Tuesday, I got a call from someone in need. Not money-in-your-ashtray ‘in need’ but, wow-can-I-really-give-that-much ‘in need.’ I found myself at a real crossroads: “How much, Lord? How much should I give? How much is enough?”

When the Good Samaritan stopped to help the beat-up stranger on the side of the road, when he put him on his donkey and checked him into Holiday Inn Express, did he wonder the same thing? We don’t get that kind of insight from the parable. All we know is that he did it. And that Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

There are a number of people on this campus who have taken that command to heart, and two of them have agreed to share some of their ministry journey at the upcoming Conversation & Community lunch scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria Creole Room. Both Shea Lowery and Laurie Nelson have unique ways of reaching out to those in difficult life circumstances, and they’ll challenge us with their stories. I hope you’ll plan now to attend … you get a free lunch, a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other women students, and a reminder that we’re called to live out those lessons we teach.

I Want It Now!

"I want it, and I want it now."

As adults, we bristle at the thought that anyone except a toddler would think that way. Why? Because we've learned important life lessons like "good things come to those who wait" and "patience is a virtue."

Or have we really learned these lessons?

Consider the typical response when someone is presented a delicious dessert or steaming plate of fried goodness? "I want it, and I want it now." Instead of considering calories, nutritional value, or even hunger, the typical person will dig in and consume the offering, and then say something like, "I shouldn't have eaten all of that."

When given the after-dinner choice of being a couch potato or taking a brisk walk, the more common winner is the couch. People justify the decision with a tough day at the office, running around after kids all day, and lots of homework to do.

But what do you really want? More energy! Sense of accomplishment! Clear thinking! Stronger friendships! Toned body!

This, my friend, is the secret to successfully navigating the battle of immediate gratification versus true satisfaction: know what you REALLY want and do what it takes to get there. Branda Polk wrote: "Wellness is one wise choice at a time." Daily we make choices related to nutrition and exercise that either take us closer to our physical wellness goals or drive us further away.

What do you really want ... not just today but for the long haul? Choose accordingly.

Oh, No, Not Job!

OK, I confess … I’m job-a-phobic. Not ‘job’ as in employment but ‘Job’ as in the book of the Bible about God giving Satan permission to test the depth of a man’s faith.

It stems back to experiences in my young adult years when a friend told me that, soon after studying the book of Job, he was in a skiing accident that put him on his back for six months. God used that time to teach Louie a lot about Himself. Then, shortly after hearing this story, I went to a Bible camp in Colorado and did a week of intensive study in the book of Job. I learned so much – in my head. But God gave me the opportunity at the end of the study to learn at a much deeper level when I received a phone call from home that my dad had passed away unexpectedly.

As we studied Job last week during the Brown Bag Book Club, we pondered God’s response to Job in chapter 38. The writer of our study asked two simple questions:

·   What does God do instead of providing answers to Job’s questions about human suffering?

·   Why do you think God choose this approach to Job?

I’m sure there are textually-, critically-, and hermeneutically-correct answers to both of these questions. But, in the simplicity of my mind, all I could think is that maybe God chose to respond to Job’s questions with His own questions because, really, what answer would have sufficed? What answer would have been enough to cover the depth of Job’s loss and pain? The only true answer was revealed in the hugeness of God’s questions (check out the last few chapters of Job to be reminded of how big our God truly is!).

And Job got it. At least, he ‘got’ what he could in the humility of that moment: “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know…. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (42:3b, 5).

I pray you are taking time to get into scripture for more than just the next Old Testament test or Greek exegesis paper. Have you found a group to study God’s word with? Are you reading devotionally each day? I started in January with a read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan; I’m not-so-proud to say that I may now be on the five-year plan. Either way, my goal is to be in the Word regularly; I hope you’ll join me there.

Extreme Dreams vs. Scary Nightmares

What an amazing week I had! On behalf of the seminary, I attended the annual National Sports and Recreation Ministry Conference in Orlando (the event formerly known as Rec Lab). Not only did I get to visit a wonderful city but I was privileged to hang out with incredible people who do ministry with a “whatever it takes” mentality! I sure wish you could meet my friends John Garner, Tommy Yessick, Myrna Gregory, Tiffany Moore, Chuck Connor, Jenny Hemmer, and a whole lot more mission-minded folks who believe I Corinthians 9:22b is their mandate to ‘play with a purpose.’

At our closing banquet, Pat Williams, Sr. VP of the Orlando Magic, offered a challenging presentation on characteristics of extreme winners (which you can read about in his new book The Ultimate Road Map to Achieving Your Dreams.) Williams’ first point (and the only one I’ll mention here) was that extreme winners have extreme dreams. He’s quite the story-teller so his explanation was laced with anecdotes about people who had not settled for small dreams: people like Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Earhart, Michael Jordan, and Ben Carson (google him, great story).

As I reflect back over Williams’ passionate presentation, I am wondering at what point in their lives those goal-setters realized they were pursuing extreme dreams. I think most of us are afraid to dream THAT big because, well, racial equality, flying around the world, and being the best basketball player seem like such unreachable possibilities. Or maybe that’s the point! They didn’t see them as unreachable … perhaps they figured someone was going to do it, so why not them? What one person calls a scary nightmare, another person describes as the ambition of a lifetime.

So I can't help but wonder what you’re dreaming about. I imagine some of you are reaching for things that would make me hide under my bed but that’s because it’s not God’s dream (or to reference Hebrews 12, God’s race) for me. But I pray you go after that dream with all you’ve got because we’ve been challenged to do what we do to the glory of God … and that’s what turns scary nightmares into extreme dreams!

The Missing Ingredient

Last Saturday I had a hankering for chicken tortilla soup … correction, HOMEMADE chicken tortilla soup, which is interesting since I’ve never made it from scratch before.

Nevertheless, I downloaded a recipe from the web and started gathering ingredients. Since it was going to be in the crockpot all day, I didn’t panic when I realized I was missing a few things … I mean, how important are black beans and cumin when you have all the other stuff? I finally got around to a Wal-Mart run a couple of hours before the soup was to be ready and, boy, am I glad I did! While the soup would have been edible without black beans and cumin, what a difference they made to the quality and taste of the finished product!

Our lives are busy and it’s easy to think that ‘good enough’ will do. But I hope as you ramp it up for this spring semester, you’ll give specific thought to what will make it an ‘excellent’ experience in every area – academically, socially, spiritually, and so on. Don’t settle for edible when your taste buds are craving cumin! Go the extra mile to make the most of the opportunities God is giving you this semester … to HIS glory.

And as you do, please be praying for student wife Rachel Haley who was in a bike accident last week and will spend the better part of this semester recovering from a broken leg, broken clavicle, and other injuries. We’re praising God for the progress she’s already made and know He is using this experience in her and Abe’s lives as well as many in their spheres of influence!

Who's Checking Your Weight?

So, I missed a day in the office last week and, when I came back, I was informed the troops had organized a pretty elaborate weight loss contest, complete with a small admission fee and prize for the ‘biggest loser.’ Some thought I might be upset since I spent last summer on my own weight loss journey with a good amount of success. Au contraire! I am not upset! I am thrilled for some accountability to get back on track after a season of holiday candy and second helpings.

How do you feel about accountability? Does it encourage you and push you to do better, or do you feel like someone’s always looking over your shoulder, just waiting for you to fail? Whether in weight loss, daily devotions, or life-changing decisions, accountability can be what keeps many of us on track … helping us with perspective: immediate gratification vs. long-term satisfaction.

In her chapter titled “Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Before Thinking” in Made to Crave, Lysa Terkeurst writes that one her most effective accountability measures is mutually tracking progress with friends (41). She tells about specific friends who have helped her in specific ways on her wellness journey. I’ve got a few friends like that. No, they don’t slap my hand when I reach for potato chips or king cake but they do offer encouragement and praise when they see me making progress toward my long-term goals.

Do you have any friends like that? I hope so but, if not, maybe I can help. I’m not in the match-making business but a lot of what I do as Coordinator of Women’s Programs is in an attempt to connect women with other women on the NOBTS campus. By offering a weekly Bible study/book club … by facilitating opportunities for intentional interactions … by practicing what I preach … it is my prayer that you do not find yourself alone on this leg of your life journey. Instead, I hope that as you reach out, you are finding other women who love God passionately and desire to share their walk at levels of both comfort and challenge.

Need Your Complacency Challenged?

I picked up a Lifeway ad paper recently and was intrigued by the subheading “Recent Studies for Women that Challenge Complacency in Your Walk.” Maybe I was more intrigued by the fact that I have on my office shelf many – okay, MOST – of the studies being promoted. And two things came to mind:

1)      I should tell our women students that they are welcome to borrow these studies to lead a group at their church or small group; and

2)      Having a study on my shelf doesn’t mean a lot if I don’t take the time to actually, well, study it.

First, about borrowing the studies. Should you decide you want to either peruse or even use one of these studies sent to me compliments of LifeWay Christian Resources, I would welcome you to come by my office and ‘check’ it out (like the library, only not). Here’s a partial list of the studies I have:

·        Stuck by Jennie Allen

·        Return to the Garden by Kay Arthur

·        The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker

·        Malachi by Lisa Harper

·        Conversation Peace by Mary Kassian

·        Nehemiah: A Heart that Can Break by Kelly Minter

·        James: Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore

·        Missing Pieces by Jennifer Rothschild

·        Why Do You Believe That? by Mary Jo Sharp

·        Can We Talk? by Priscilla Shirer

·        Desperate by Cindi Woods

Did I mention that I have a lot of studies? Well, I do, and I would love for them to be used (and returned) so let me know if you’re interested. I just have one copy of each, so it’s first-come, first-served.

And, second, about taking the time to actually study the studies. You can imagine how difficult it is to choose which one to do with so many choices … so many GOOD choices. So, they continue to sit on my shelf, unchosen. But that needs to change.

  

Just as an exercise program starts with the first step, so a Bible study journey begins with an open book and open heart. I pray that this semester you are working through a study – alone or in a group, written or unwritten – so that when you look back in a few months, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you took the time to study God’s Word, not just for pop quizzes and final exams, but to get to know the Author better than ever.