Praise! I just finished reading out of Isaiah (and other easier reads from the Bible). I am working towards my One year Bible reading adventure. I made a deal with myself to read from the Bible before blogging in an attempt to be sincere and free from the world's imprint on me, at least for that period of time before blogging. And, it appears I will finish that Bible cover to cover some time in the next year to year and a half. I am going to do it out of love and respect for those precious words. I am ready to read what was God inspired and face it. Not because I feel I have to. No more of that standard religious check mark system for me.
I sit here on a September day with a fire in the fireplace. It is Sunday and after such a busy week and weekend I decided to not leave the house now that church and Ross' football game are over. I am going to read and cook and blog and spend a lot of time with Ross and the Lord. Amen.
Sitting here with a fire in the fireplace seems like a luxury. Other people would not say that. It would be a necessity. Actually, my fireplace uses wood and it sucks the heat up the chimney and wastes. But for that little bit of heat I factor out the ambiance of it all and relaxation it provides for the household. It calms us. That smell of the wood and the crackle. I think it does do alot more than waste my natural gas.
One day I thought about it and realized I could probably feed Ross and I with Dollar Menu items. Every meal. I figure we could eat for $14.00 a day that way. Isn't that insane? If you think about it, we have maids and butlers who serve us hot, fresh food every day. We only see their laboring through the drive thru window. We could get rid of our freezers and stoves and just bring home a hot meal, every meal, and never shop for the grocery items, refrigerate the grocery item, prepare and cook the grocery item. And guess what? If we ate it in the restaurant, we could avoid the water to wash the dishes. And cancel the garbage man. We wouldn't have any garbage to throw out. We could leave that plastic straw and hamburger wrapper at the McDonald's!
I am a deep thinker and no, you will not have to excuse me for that. I think all of the time and think controversial things. I think about things that others don't expand on in their heads. This drive thru diet came to me because I have been confused about the population that includes my adult children. They work crazy hours. They don't have 403B plans. They are slaves to 2-3 jobs. They work mostly in food service jobs. They are on their feet all the time. They go to work usually late in the day and get home a few hours before I get up. They sleep until 1pm. No wonder. We are all to blame for this.
They don't cook much for themselves. They don't buy houses, they rent. They live for today. They are committed to their cell phone contracts. They don't get married, they live together first. They are afraid of divorce because the generation before them divorced more than any time in history. That includes me and many people I know. These kids were watching us.
I was relieved to do deep thinking about the 20-30 year olds because it helped me appreciate them. They don't obsess about their future. They don't seem to worship a job they don't like. They move on to something that fits them better. They don't count their money and check the stock market all the time. They change churches from their parents churches. They are vocal to their parents and authority figures and are comfortable about expressing themselves.
Why do I blog this? I think we need to think about these things. We are spending so much time in front of our televisions. We are watching other peoples reality on TV and not digging down deep into our own families. We are not talking about our family history or setting up healthy traditions. We are not talking in the car, we have the radio on. We are not praying for each other. We are so darn afraid to point out what our loved ones are doing to tragically ruin their lives.
It helped me to put together the Dollar Menu story in my noggin because it helped me understand my adult children. Am I going to eat fast food still? Yes. Is it easy and cheap? Yes. Is it healthy? No. But, because most Walmarts, Walgreens and restaurants are now open very late or open 24 hours a day, there is a massive employment opportunity for corporate America. And it is our children that are working there. And they are not experiencing commitment to an employer or a taste of a career. How can they get to church if they are working these crazy hours? How can they commit to a Wednesday Bible study when their employer has them by the tail? How can they believe that there is a ladder to success if they are in a position that there is no "up"? Yes, they can go to school and many of them do. But, part time school takes a long time. And many of these kids are years into debt now. They didn't get to college right away and finish on time.
We are just brats. I decided I was a true brat when I returned from a family wedding in Mexico. I spent alot of money to go there. And it was fabulous. We had fine dining all day, any time you wanted it. Buffets all day. Steak, European cuisine, finest desserts. We had bars everywhere, top shelf alcohol. Any drink you wanted, you got it. Any time. You had a bar in your hotel room. Stocked. A swim up bar in the pool. It was insane. But, in my head I figured if I paid that amount of money for this all inclusive, I deserved it. I also believed that the economy thrives on us tourist. And without us, they would not be employed.
And then I came home. And I thought about it. I felt guilty. On top of it, my reading includes Christian authors who are warning us that we are missing the entire point of the Gospel. That we Americans are buying everything in sight, still not happy, and not spreading the good news of Jesus around the world. We already are spending our money on other things, so how can we spend money on mission trips or buy Bibles for prisons. Are we tithing? Or would it be like I discovered of myself: Why am I going to luxury resorts when I could be trying to live a little more realistic?
I do not regret the trip to Mexico. The ocean is so beautiful there. I spent time with family. I didn't over indulge in either drink or food. I read three books and relaxed on the beach. I talked to God. I cried to Him when I looked into the ocean. I praised him for the incredible sunset on my last day there. I think the Lord opened my eyes to a new level. I saw that the more food and drink I shoved down my throat, the more selfish I got. He showed me that most of us cannot handle that type of wealth or special treatment. We just get more hungry for more. At this point in my spiritual journey, I decided if I vacationed in a beautiful part of the world again, I would buy my groceries at their Walmart, enjoy the ocean for a bargain price at hotel chain that requires me to put my own napkin in my lap. And walk a ways to get to a beach chair that may have already been spoken for.
I knew the Holy Spirit was with me when I gave in to the devil. I was in Dallas-Fort Worth airport, arriving from Mexico on the way home and we missed our flight to Cedar Rapids. It was not our fault. I ran the entire way to the gate (I suffer from asthma as well) and the plane was still there, but they would not let us board it. I was out of breath and really missing Ross. I knew now it would be 11pm before I saw him, and that was if the next flight left on time. I had a "discussion" with the American Airlines attendant at the gate. And I was really getting mad. And then I walked away. And there she was again when I went somewhere else to complain. And I gave it to her again. And then I used the Lord's name in vain. Boy, the devil got me there, didn't he. This born again Christian was arguing a little too loud in the airport and then, she says "Jesus Christ". And I shut up instantly. I knew the trap I just walked into. I instantly knew what had happened. I was being a brat and gave into Satan's delight. She didn't have to make it right that the previous aircraft held us on board after landing for 25 minutes without recording it, making our connection impossible, and giving her no concrete information on why we didn't get to this terminal on time. Set-ups and traps by Satan. Another blog to be published. Just wait for that. I actually document his traps he sets for me! And I learn of his trickery. And I am getting wiser and wiser.
If any of you know me well, you will know that I have said since gambling was legal in Iowa that I never wanted to win the lottery. I rarely buy any lottery tickets. I only go to the casino once or twice a year to gamble. I don't want to win. I don't want to be instantly rich. I want to keep steady with the plan. I would assume that almost 100% of people who encounter instant wealth will put their soul in jeopardy. And will not have a true friend. And those that encounter slow, gaining wealth will encounter the same problems. It just sneaks up on you. Just like most earthly things. We just aren't capable of being spoiled. Only our glorious Father should be spoiling us. With open arms. With praise for our obeying Him. With treasures in heaven. With a relationship that is not possible with humans, only with Him.
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