The power of a dollar

The grocery store has got my goat right now. I just left the store with so little in my cart and my wallet is lighter than air, I considered stopping by the florist to get a ribbon for it to tie to my wrist like a treasured balloon. It really burns my muffins to feel like the choices I need to make for the healthy menu for my family has to cost me an arm, a leg and a kidney to provide.

I don't stroll through the grocery store, I keep a determined pace. I need to be armed with a list, especially when I have my T.A.N.K. with me. You know the drill, especially when you head down the cereal aisle, which now has more ways to add sugar to sugar and then keep you feeling that an additional case of sweetener needs to be added.

Why is it that "Buy One, Get Two Free" sales never apply to the real food categories? Apples. Milk. Oatmeal. Chicken. Grapes. Fresh vegetables. Peanut butter. Yogurt. Salad. Crackers. Cheese. Nectarines. Rice Krispies. These items were on my list today, and it feels like highway robbery the prices I am charged to make sure there are going to be 6-9 servings of fruits and vegetables for the next three days. And yet...and yet...ooooh...and yet, for the price I needed to pay for 7 apples I could have purchased 144 Twinkies because of BOGO opportunities in the snack cake section. Or 144 Ho Hos. Or 288 Banana Flips. Or, lets get the calculator here, 1886 donut holes. Or 36 boxes of macaroni and cheese.

Our life doesn't need more Twinkies, Ho Hos, Banana Flips....there should be a triple tax value on foods which could end your life sooner simply because of their consumption. I have five different types of lettuce to choose from for our family salads - an amazing array of choice I consider: there are so many in the world who are needing a regular, consistent meal. Yet 25 steps away from my produce section is what rivals a warehouse of cream-filled, corn syrup soaked, deep fried, need-to-be-tried, pseudo-food snack aisle which begins clogging my arteries just by its presence. Its price per pound and container is so affordable, so much less that my carrots, lettuce, cantaloupes, apples and grapes - but to what value will these savings truly bring?

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away...when thrown properly" - that's my dad's adage and he laughs everytime he says it. I laugh because it tickles his fancy, as I am eating my Gala apple (or Braeburn, or Cameo or Golden Delicious or Pink Lady or Granny Smith or Jonagold. There are so many to choose from, yet a Jonathan is still my delightfully crunchy, sour favorite.) The snacks I offer our kids can run the gambit from pretzels to cheese and crackers to veggies with dip to fruit...and occasionally there are small bags of chips. I prefer to make cookies than buy them in the store, well mostly because Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie. Butter, sugar, eggs and flour, cinnamon - the makings of a masterpiece, and I haven't found a Snickerdoodle from the grocery store that rivals a warm-from-the-oven variety, ever.

I didn't have single sale price for any of the "real food" I needed to buy, but I could have gotten 3 free cases of soda when I bought 3. Healthy choices are breaking my budget and the freezer section is helping our daily food menu. Frozen veggies are the best substitute to the produce section and made the shopping cart a well-rounded experience, but as I am choosing a California Blend or Whole Kernal Sweet Corn, I am facing the frozen dessert display offering "Buy One Get One" half gallons of premium ice cream. For the price I needed to fork over for my four bags of veggies I could have returned home with 4 gallons of Dirt Sundae, DreamCycle Supreme, Hot Fudge Brownie and Dulce Deleche Caramele. Or four apple pies with 12 servings a piece and a total of 2600 calories per pie.

I am considering sending my grocery bill to our insurance company and advocating that I need an additional layer of help at the grocery store to be able to provide a healthy lifestyle for my family! I think its a creative, think-outside-the-box mentality that is needed in combatting this grocery store farce of commodities, supply and demand faux food market. I'm not serving roasted salmon with crab legs covered with a reduced butter and garlic sauce and artichokes with gourmet leeks. I'm not preparing Argentina prime rib with fresh picked passion fruit and a side of Chilean beets served with triple cream potatoes. But there needs to be a way that a 1 pound package of real strawberries (or even frozen strawberries, for that matter) cost less than 12 boxes of Strawberry Shortcakes Jelly Rolls. Or a half gallon container of orange juice cost less than 10 2 liters of orange soda.

I don't have many dollars, and a large part of my weekly money is spent at the grocery store to feed our family of 6. I need an advocate on the side of healthy living to be stationed at my grocery store to help the power of my dollar provide the health and strength that we need.

Not another low-priced, three-layer, 24 sliced Chocolate Dream Cheesecake.

Blasting

I don't always need a clock or a watch to know what time it is...and I know you understand what I mean. There are certain events which happen within our lives that are predictable, dependable that we can anticipate and these events have become part of the way we string together our day. I live in a railroad hub, and there are certain trains which are always coming through at 2:30 p.m. or 7:35 a.m.. They are predictable occurrences - I know which roads to avoid at what time of day. (That is, if I want to avoid a wait. Sometimes...I treasure a chance to wait, but let's keep that between you and me, eh?!.) Our home is within a 6 mile radius of 3 limestone quarries, and these quarries and their schedule make a big impact on our community.

They blast their aggregates with large amounts of explosives.

The first few times it happened I was startled, ran down to the basement to find out which of the walls had collapsed, then ran upstairs to find out which child had dropped a cherry bomb down the toilet and then ran outside to see if the roof on the back of the house had been ripped off. There was no damage to be found - innocent-looking children who "didn't do anything mommy" (yeah right, maybe not this time, but just you wait, I'll find out what you've been up to and then we're going round and round).

What could it be?

Once I found it, these blasts/tremors calmly became part of my morning, "Oh, it's 10:15". I will mention, I prefer the morning blasts to the afternoon wafting cloud...and that's all I will say about that. When my mom and mother-in-law both experienced their "first blast", I couldn't believe how I had placed it so cavalierly in my day. I have to admit, I had forgotten how amazingly surprised I was by the deep roaring sound and earthquake type tremors...my mom was a little shaky for about an hour. I should have warned her!

This past weekend at our Commissioning Congress in Hershey, PA Pastor Jim Cymbala drew us into the Scripture, into Isaiah 51, to reveal the Scripture's truest strength in revelation - GOD HAS A WORD TO SPEAK WITH YOU. He drew us all together to the edge of the a spiritual quarry to examine over the edge where we all came from. Isaiah's prophecy for 8 chapters is building up to chapter 51, and it includes the impact that the righteous God was calling His children to be righteous, to long for righteousness, to desire it, strive for it...righteousness was what they were created to have. Righteousness would be given by God's deepest gift to us - His Holy Presence. Not a gift from Him, not a gift chosen by Him, not a gift wrapped and delivered by Him - no the truest gift was The gift OF God.

I was so moved that he was drawn to share this Scripture with our united congregation: Isaiah 51 has had a hold on my heart for 4 months now, included in each devotional time I have, surrounded with new poetry and songs, and three new sermons. The listed poem below is one from April , and the photo is one of our nearby quarries. The Bible I had with me at Congress was the one I have used almost exclusively in these Scripture immersion times, and its margins were full of the annotated conversation God and I have been having. I was sharing my Bible with my oldest son, T. and he was following the dates and thoughts and the workings of my heart, "Boy, you really like this chapter, huh mom?!."

Yes, I really do.

Added to its margin is a Congress 06/07 date...
From the prophet Isaiah, "Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking God. Ponder the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug. Yes, ponder Abraham, your father and Sarah who bore you....Revelation flows from Me, My decisions light up the world. My deliverance arrives on the run, my salvation right on time. I'll bring justice to the peoples." Isaiah 51:1-2;4-6 The Message

Lord, I devote my heart to right living, to living for You. Change my heart to shine your love. Blast away the hardened parts which prevent my heart from being flexible, tender and supple. Keep me committed to seeking You - Your will, Your activity, Your touch, Your inspiration and guidance.

Blasting

The earth shakes, in its predictable way
It’s 10:15 a.m., not the dawn of the day:
The quarry, on duty, exactly on time
Is blasting it’s limestone, aggregates and lime.

The BLASTING that’s quaking,
That BLASTING that’s shaking
This BLASTING that’s making
Its roaring presence known;
Intentional blasting which reaches,
Stretches and grasps
Every corner, wall and window
Of my cul-de-sac home.

The earth shakes, in its predictable way
I don’t need a clock, the tremors convey
That the quarry, on duty, to the minute exact
Has its shift engaged and its explosives packed.

The LORD holds up a mirror
And calls me nearer…

My heart shakes, in its predictable way
I am before Holy God at the dawn of the day:
He is speaking on duty, exactly on time
And is blasting the hardness of heart that is mine.

The BLASTING that’s quaking,
That’s BLASTING that’s shaking,
This BLASTING that’s making
God’s Holy presence impart
Intentional blasting which reaches,
Stretches and grasps
Each room, shelf and closet
Of my cul-de-sac heart.

My heart shakes, in its predictable way
I don’t need a clock – I embrace this chance to pray
God’s presence, on duty, issuing a fresh start
Brings compelling love to satiate my heart.

He calls my name clearly
“Dear heart, keep yourself near Me.”

jsi

The LORD of Hope in the Land of the Living

Psalm 27 carries so many points of power and strength, a Word straight to my heart this morning.

"The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" verse 1
Lord, when You are the stronghold of my life, everything else falls into its place and its perspective. "A place for everything and everything in its place" is not just helpful information and housecleaning advice, it is advice for my heart. Lord, please keep the details of my heart in place. Align these perspectives so none of them get out of balance. These medical details and the fear they bring - don't let it consume my heart. Prevent me from "filling in the blanks" before the doctor does. Calm my heart, it trembles so. Attend to these concerns, these details that have no answers for me but You know all about and will show me one at a time. Give me Your patience and assurance that no matter what, You are there.

"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." verses 4-5
Lord, I ask so many things of You. I talk to You all day long, reaching out for Your strength and guidance. Thank you for humbly, powerfully drawing me back to the awareness that You are not my spiritual grocery store, waiting upon me hand and foot. I ask just to be able to be in Your presence, Lord. Your presence is the deepest blessing of my life, not what You will do for me or protect me from. I am drawn to You because of who You are, You call my name.
"I will sing and make music to the LORD." verse 6Lord, I draw such encouragement and power from making music. Thank you for a song in my heart to be expressed. I sing and make music to praise Your name! Thank you for others who resonate with the same desire to worship Your name and presence with the overflowing expression of music. I do not make music for the audience, for my husband, for my horn section, for my children, for my congregation. I sing and make music for You, Lord!
"My heart says of me, 'Seek His face!' Your face, O LORD will I seek." verse 8I look for Your activity, Lord, for Your touch and movement. Encourage that desire to look for You...help me to always look for You.
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me Your way , O LORD; lead me in a straight path" verse 11
My parents have shown me deep, unconditional love and raised me in a caring and positive way. But as I am an adult, it is more obvious to me how they are not perfect. Prevent my criticism LORD, hear my concerns and transform them into a ministry I can share with my parents. They have never turned their back on me, but I need Your wisdom and guidance to lead me, especially when concerning what You need to have shared with my parents. Thank you for drawing my into your family, calling me Your child, and showing me, without out doubt, the straight way I need to walk.
"I am confident of this: I would have given up long ago if I had not seen the LORD of hope in the land of the living." verse 13

Lord, Your hope has been so compelling to me. This world needs hope, divine hope, a reason to live, a reason to continue this life. Too many people around me feel hopeless. Continue to use me as a channel of Your hope, your divine encouragement that life is worth living and has powerful, compelling purpose. Help me Lord to hold onto the fact that there are no gifts or publications or groceries or clothing items or utility interventions that are more important than giving the people who turn to me Your divine Word that today is the day that You have made and we can rejoice! Thank you Lord for the people in my life who witness to Your activity - they are physical reminders that You are here with us, in the land of the living. Continue to inspire us to be Your physical evidence of deep, compelling compassion and transforming power.

Thank you, Lord Thank you Lord Thank you, Lord Thank you, Lord Thank you, Lord
Thank you, Lord

Odyssey of a lifetime

"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove, the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sun god wiped from sight the day of their return. Launch out on his story, Muse,daughter of Zeus, start from where you will - sing for our time, too." Homer, The Odyssey

Odysseus, the man of twists and turns of the Homeric hymn ode. Odysseus has been my planned journey for the summer with the kids, and I am so excited. Several different volumes, and an audiobook version which is narrated by Sir Ian McKellan, have been on hold at the library for what seems like forever, but they are all coming in together just in time. Because of our late June departure, we may have to run through it here in NW OH and pick it up again in NE OH with our own little Odyssey adventure in the middle. Believed to have been compiled by Homer, the woven tapestry with the Cyclops and sirens, Medusa and Hercules, amazing feats of strength and failure, weakness and moral character, it truly is the greatest of stories. Within its stanzas a reader finds life hanging in the balance, the reward of courage and right choices, of devoted and determined love and the pull of home. I have planned to read The Odyssey with the kids this summer, and including other Greek reinforcements such as food and history - I think stuffed grape leaves may require more than one try, but I believe olives and figs are safe bets, lemon chicken, gyros and lamb kebabs are going to be a well-embraced hit. We wouldn't want to forget baklava, but that cannot be an everyday escapade, it takes long enough to make that it should discourage having too much.

Also, Director Andrei Konchalovsky has directed an amazing movie version of Odysseus' travels, with actors like Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossalini and Bernadette Peters. We'll watch that after we get through the stories of this man punished whose only desire is to return home to his wife Penelope, which he is able to do after nearly 10 years. Your imagination can fill in between the lines of the written word, but a visual component makes things so memorable.

So joined by Sir Ian McKellan (Gandalf, XMen) and Simon and Garfunkel (Homward Bound) I anticipate the adventure stretching out ahead of us this summer, affected by the poignancy that months ago while I was preparing for these Odyssey adventures, there were others planning and preparing an Odyssey adventure for our family. I don't plan to have to meet Cyclops on his island to do battle, but the resonance of these Homeric hymns is that though they were described in Greek mythology, the narrator beseeches the Muse to sing the story, "start from where you will - sing for our time, too."

I want to see courage, strength and determination in the eyes and imagination of my children, and I knew Homer's Odyssey was just the ticket for this time. There may be time for The Iliad this summer, but I believe I will hold Sisyphus and Virgil for another time - if they make the summer visit it will probably be within our 13 hour drive to ME. For right now, there are cobwebs to find, books to pack, clothes to sort, crevices to clean, files to file, letters to type, briefs to manage, camperships to align, meetings to schedule and attend...and an Odyssey adventure of a lifetime!