Day 2 of the Bean

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I wouldn't have known without comparing the photos that the bean really is longer today, spanning two whole finger widths.

You have to start somewhere, and it takes a lot of energy to be a baby bean.

Yesterday's glories fade, but they'll be tomorrow's baby beans.

First Day of the Bean

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My Thai Purple Long Bean patch gets several visits every day.  Are any of the tiny baby beans turning purple yet?  Are there any new shoots needing to be wound around their strings?

I think I remember that last time I grew these, there came a point when each bean pod grew about an inch every day.  This time around, I thought it would be fun to choose a bean and follow its whole life, taking a photo of it every day.  Clearly it's past the official "day 1", which I guess would be the day its flower bloomed, but this little guy hangs in exactly the right place to keep a close eye on him through the whole growing process, so I thought I had better start with today and go from here.

They may just be beans, but their blossoms are just stunning to me.  I hope you don't mind if I throw in a few blossom photos too.

My brother says I'll probably have more beans than I know what to do with.  And I say I SURE HOPE SO. 

This little guy doesn't know I'm his friend, so he's poised and ready to run, watching my every move.  I didn't even try to catch him, except with my camera.

I will: be thou clean.

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I've always loved the story of the leper who comes to Jesus, bowing down and begging to be healed.  It's a simple, brief story, with a quick and clear answer to his need.  Very efficient.

Jesus simply says, "I will:  be thou clean."  (Luke 5:13)  And just like that, it's done.  Leprosy is gone, and he's probably in better health than he has ever enjoyed.

Many times when I've read this story, I've been in less-than-optimal states of health, and always, I make the man's prayer my own.  "If You can do it for him, You can do it for me."

And I've never experienced an instant healing in answer to prayer like the man from the story did.  

Now, I know people who have had instant healing in answer to prayer, and sometimes I've been downright jealous of them.  By personality I'm not one to be angry with God, and I don't revel in wasting time with all the why questions, but when you want to feel better and have normal thyroid and energy levels, well, you just want it to happen now.  

Fortunately for me, years ago I read a chapter called "Prayer for the Sick" in the book Ministry of Healing, and that answered many of my questions and mostly gave me the assurance that it's no lack of faith if you don't experience instant healing.  (At least, not necessarily.)  I've long since accepted that I may not ever get sick and then have a miraculous instant healing, but that either way, God will do what is absolutely best for me.

A couple of days ago, I read this story of the leper yet again.  I liked it just as much as I always do.  Out of habit, I was about to pray that same prayer for physical health, just like the leper did and just like I've always done, when I realized I didn't need to anymore.  I'm already in good health and feeling great.  Although it took time, God had answered all the prayers I prayed every time I read that same story.

I will.  Be thou educated.

I looked back and reflected on all I have learned about health--in general, and specifically applied to my very own blood work--during the last ten or so years.  I have a lot left to learn, but I know a lot more than I used to!

I will.  Be thou disciplined.

Am I applying what I know?  Am I faithful to the daily decisions I know I need to make to support my health?

I will.  Be thou invested.

Sometimes good health feels like it costs more time, energy, and money than I have to offer.  Yet I've found that every time I feel a lack, if I tell Jesus that it sure seems like I need something for my health I can't afford (in time, energy, or money), He provides it in a way I don't expect it.  Maybe I learn to plan differently, or maybe I receive an unexpected blessing that covers the thing I need.  But every time, He provides.

I will.  Be thou clean.

Piece by piece, moment by moment, my body has rejuvenated as I've put in the time, energy, and money to be educated and disciplined.  Piece by piece, step by step, God guided my path, and has indeed made me clean.

Why You're Never too Old for a Good Story

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I'm always looking for ways to reduce stress.  Maybe it's just me, but it's by far easier for me to collect stress than it is for me to get rid of it once I have it.

Some time ago, never mind how long precisely, I realized one thing that really raised my stress level and rush factor was how much time I spend in the car.  We're a one-car family, and on a regular basis that means I get to do extra driving to get things done.  

Since I wasn't actually interested in going out and buying a second car to solve this issue, I thought I had better come up with some other solution.  It's just not worth being stressed on a regular basis by one of my own responsible adult life decisions.

So I got out some story tapes.  Which actually are CDs, but I grew up on story tapes and even records, so that is still what I call them, no matter what the format.

I started listening to stories about my church's history--that box set took me several months' worth of errands to get through, and even a short summer road trip.  Then I got out some sermons and some other stories.

Gradually, I noticed my stress level going down.  I didn't mind an extra wait at the stop light.  Those fifteen minutes between my husband's work and my house flew by, even with morning school traffic.  I found myself encouraged and inspired instead of frantic.

It all started with the Pathways of our Pioneers CD Collection (which you can also download here for no charge).  I resonated with Mrs. Bates every time Joseph Bates left on another sea voyage--my husband was away on a commercial fishing boat at the time.  By the time Ellen White died, and I heard her say, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day," I had to sit in the bank parking lot and wipe my eyes before I could go in to make my deposit.

I got through Great Stories volume 1 (although most are great, some of these do have sad endings...just to warn you!), and a few sermons.

By Christmas time, I had exhausted my story and sermon collection, and so as any self-respecting adult with no children in the house would do, I put more sets of stories on my Christmas list.  And maybe some Ellen White audio books.

I wasn't disappointed.  Christ's Object Lessons has been such a delight--I'm into my second listening already, and someday I may invest in another audio book or two from Remnant Publications.  Great Stories volume 2 awaits me, with all kinds of good stories about people like George Washington, Henry Ford, and more.

I don't dread errand days anymore.  I'm secretly glad I finally get a chance to pick up my stories and books where I left off.  

And really, that simple decision to listen to great stuff has taken away quite a bit of my unnecessary stress...so I guess you could say it has been life changing for me in a significant way.

Happy Pi Day

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I woke up this morning to a reminder from my brother-in-law that today is Pi Day.  There's nothing quite like waking up and realizing that instead of an ordinary day, you get a great holiday to celebrate instead.

During alumni weekend every year at Walla Walla University, the math department holds the Randy Yaw Pi Contest to see who can recite the most digits of Pi from memory.  First prize is $314.15, second prize is $31.41, third prize is $3.14, fourth prize is $.31, fifth prize is $.03, and sixth prize (perhaps the best of all) is approximately one sixth of a penny, specially designed and carved out by one of the math professors each year.

Then when the contest is over, everyone eats pie.

My freshman year of college, a friend of mine made it through 1212 digits before she faltered.  I'm not sure what the record is now, but I think she had the record then.

I didn't ever officially enter the contest, although I had memorized 50 or so digits for fun, and I had always wanted to work out a system to set Pi to music, even though I never seemed to get around to doing so.

Sometimes the best memories are made when you're not expecting them in the least, and that's precisely what happened once when I was walking across campus on the day of the Pi contest.

Seeing two friends, I greeted them and asked, "What are you guys up to?"

"We're practicing to go sing Pi at the Pi contest."

"Really?  I've always wanted to do that!"  I could hardly contain my excitement, and I'm pretty sure I barged in on their plans without so much as an invitation.  We practiced it in parts, two of us at the octave, and one in the middle at the fifth to imitate the style of perfect parallel organum.  Then we were off to make our debut, only minutes after deciding to stop our performance at a moment in Pi where an 8 followed a 5.  You know, for a good cadence.

We got a standing ovation, and we thoroughly enjoyed our pie.

Little did I know then that one of those Pi-singing  friends would become my brother-in-law, and that he would be sending Pi music videos to the whole family on Pi day.

A Faithful High Priest

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Not long ago my Bible study plan had me in Mark, studying the last scenes of Jesus' life, on the same day as I was studying Hebrews 4, and the significance of having a faithful high priest.

Honestly, it's something I have taken almost for granted.  Of course Jesus, as our high priest, would be faithful.

But what if you hadn't always taken faithfulness for granted?  What would that look like?  What if all you knew was the high priest in charge during Jesus' time on earth?

You know the one.  He and his other chief priests and scribes and elders would rather spend the Sabbath hours plotting to kill a man than see someone liberated from debilitating sickness.  

He would hire someone to deliver a man to death with money from the temple treasury.  Then, when the guilty betrayer brought the same money back?  He'd get creative, trying to find a new place to keep that money, because the temple treasury couldn't accept blood money, all the while neglecting his solemn duty to bring a sinner to the mercy seat.

{I don't know if Judas was past the point of no returns just then, but what if he wasn't?  What if the high priest could have labored for his soul instead of heartlessly turning him out in the cold, saying, "See thou to that!"}

The same high priest would try for hours and hours in the middle of the night to find a false witness to testify in court, even though he should have been the one to uphold the standard of justice at all costs.  He'd make a pretense of following the rules--needing two witnesses to agree, even if falsely--before giving a verdict.

I don't know of anyone who would want to be judged in that court.  

As I considered Jesus as a faithful high priest, particularly in contrast with the unfaithful high priest who judged Jesus and begged Pilate to crucify Him, I began to realize in a new way how beautiful it is that the Bible assures us over and over that

• Our high priest is faithful.
• Our high priest judges righteously.
• Our high priest makes war righteously.
• Our high priest came to seek and to save that which was lost.
• Our high priest offers the fountain of the waters of life freely.
• Our high priest was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.
• Our high priest is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
• Our high priest would rather die than see us in court without a hope.

Many of the plants and trees where I live are covered with intimidating thorns.  Every time I see them and try to respectfully avoid their painful spikes, I have a fresh reminder of what Jesus suffered for my sake, what it took for Him to become my faithful high priest who could judge both righteously and mercifully.  And I love how all these things--His faithfulness and His willingness to suffer for my sake--culminate in the reminder to have confidence when I come to Him.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16

What to do with Bad Thoughts

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Sometimes my thoughts can be like clouds, when I'd rather them be like sunbeams.

I've encountered many helpful ideas to remind me what to do about the cloudy thoughts, but recently something new jumped out at me from Proverbs.

"Commit thy woks unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."  Proverbs 16:3.

I love how this is part promise and part test question.  On the one hand, it's a relief to know that God cares about and promises to establish my thoughts.  It's a battle I can't and don't have to fight alone.  

On the other hand, my job is to make sure I'm fully committed to Jesus.  Have I taken back the reigns of my heart?  Am I trying to do things my way, or make my plans without seeking Him first?  As soon as I can surrender all the things that trouble and cloud my mind, and commit everything I do to the Lord afresh, I can rest assured that He will bring sunbeam thoughts to my mind to dispel the cloudy ones.