Hot Tea and the Holy Spirit

Have you ever heard someone say that doing a certain thing would be like putting lipstick on a pig? It's a phrase we Southerners use to describe an action that is of little significance. You can put lipstick on a pig all day long, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a pig. At the end of the day, that lipstick's gonna be all smudged off in the slop.  Matthew 7:6 conjures similar imagery: Do not give dogs what is sacred, do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (NIV) Reading this verse, I often imagine the comical irony of a big 'ole potbelly pig sloshing and slurping up slop in lipstick, pearls, and sparkly stilettos.  However, while the imagery of the verse has always been good for a chuckle, wrestling with its meaning used to make my mind feel as messy as a pig sty, too.   In its context, the verse can read a little like an awkward and caustic non sequitur summing up a convicting...

I've been crying a lot lately.  Not like all-day sob-fests, but a minute here, a minute there--just enough to wet the steering wheel when my new favorite song, Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter, comes on the radio in the school carline. By the time the kids are in the car, the evidence is all dried up, but the crossing guard might have gotten a show. This song has been hitting me hard.  The more that I look in the details, the more of Your goodness I find.--SS To explain my delicate emotions, let me fill you in on a few of my details .  The first detail is that I'm house-hunting. Well, sort of. We're intending to move when school gets out, so we're basically voyeuring on Zillow without any actual buying power until we can list and sell our current home.  The second detail is that the other day I found my dream home.  Technically my husband found it. He had this wild look in his eye as he began to turn his phone screen in my direction. "If we really wante...

Practice,  noun.     the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it. Practice,  verb.     perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency. -- Oxford Languages  "Practice makes perfect." I'm sure you've heard the phrase. To me it brings to mind the time I hid my piano books because I'd rather have watched tv or played outside than spent the afternoon working on chord progressions in the basement.  "Practice makes perfect," my mom would remind me. But I had better things to do.  "If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?" I was very proud of my response. Of course, I was the one who had asked for the piano in the first place, and I would have loved to perform flawlessly in the school talent shows like many of my friends. But I didn't want to put in the time.  My mom always reminded me...

The other day I was reading the "How to Read Matthew" preface to the Book of Matthew in my old NIV Student Bible, and I came across the following instruction: "First, consider how it differs from the other three Gospels; this will give you some idea of Matthew's distinct purpose." First, consider how it differs; this will give you some idea of its distinct purpose.  Here, in this obvious but all-too-overlooked advice, I think there is something to be said about how we should consider our own differences.  We often look at differences as a bad thing. I'm always telling my kids, "comparison is the thief of joy," and I stand by that mantra.  However, when we are able to see our differences not as ways that we are less than or greater than those around us, but rather as different textures, different brushstrokes, different colors, different mediums and techniques (all used for their unique beauty) in God's divine gallery, we can compare, or "c...

Because. I. Said. So.  Four words so familiar and iconic they titled a movie starring Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore.  We all heard those four words growing up, and many of us swore we'd never use them on our own kids. But let's be real: most of us have.  When I first became a parent, I looked at because I said so as a total copout--the phrase parents use when they don't feel like dignifying their kids with a real response.  And I suppose, at times, this may be true.  But 12 years and five kids into my parenting journey, I have found that  sometimes , those are the four most appropriate words to say.  My nine-year-old is incredibly literal and fact-driven. He needs to understand everything . I always try to make sure I explain my reasons and rationale for rules and reprimands very clearly to him, and most of the time he is very obedient. He likes to stay out of trouble, and he genuinely values doing the right thing. Sometimes, however, he perceives some...

Have you ever had an aching back? A crick in the neck? Something with your muscles, bones, ligaments, or tendons that was just off ? Many moons ago I trained to be a Pilates instructor. Pilates is a full-body exercise discipline that focuses on strengthening a body's "core" or "powerhouse," which includes all of the muscles of the abdomen, glutes, and back. When these muscles are strengthened, they help hold everything else in alignment. Alignment is one of the key pillars of Pilates. Done properly, Pilates strengthens and restores, and is even frequently recommended for physical therapy patients. However, as is the case with most forms of exercise, if done incorrectly, it can cause strain and even damage. Your body needs to be properly aligned (or moving toward alignment) to do the simple moves effectively. Proper and effective movement encourages and reinforces alignment, which allows the moves to be even more powerful. I thought of all this when reflecting on...