Jody Lynne

Intersecting Life and Faith

I Was Them

April 10, 2017 / / 0 Comments
As we walk the way of the cross this week towards Good Friday, I have been reminded of a very simple truth. We remember that Jesus was arrested for a crime he did not commit, questioned by the high priest then shuffled off to the office of the roman governor who would not make any decisions as to Jesus' future but took the coward's way out by letting the crowds decide.
Crucify him, crucify him was their demand and cry.
There's much more to the story, I encourage you to read it in Luke 22-23. But the end of the story, Jesus is crucified, dead , buried and rose again on the third day...that's why we celebrate Easter. The simple thought I was led to Sunday morning was Luke 23:34
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
I have been gently reminded I was them.  No, I wasn't standing at the foot of the cross as Jesus was dying, no I didn't cast lots for the clothes that had been stripped off him and no, I wasn't there condemning him to death or yelling from the crowd to crucify. And yet... my sin put him on the cross, my rejection of what Jesus Christ came to do; reconcile me back to a loving Heavenly Father; was why he hung on the cross, bore the shame and agony of his Father turning away from him, yes... I was them. But it didn't end there for me and it doesn't for anyone who repents of their sin, asking forgiveness of their sin through Jesus Christ, and trusting in him for salvation, of being able to say I am now a friend of God. It's all right there, read for yourself in Luke 23. And no longer be among them.

The Kitchen Sink

April 5, 2017 / / 0 Comments

I've spent many years looking out the kitchen window. Some views better than others, some in the country, some in the suburbs and some in the city. I first learned to wash dishes without a dishwasher standing at my mom's farmhouse sink with my sisters, one who usually had something she urgently needed to do when it was time to dry the dishes.

  Making today count by being thankful for what a day brings, even if the sun isn't shining...yet. French press coffee, a favorite coffee mug, green plants in the window, using a Christmas gift from a daughter, a spring dish towel and... ....a new way to practice hospitality

A gift from a dear friend who knew how much I love to bake and share with others. I spy a banana that needs to be used for banana bread!!

  I've often wondered what it is that makes me want to go to the kitchen, Why I Love to Bake, explains it all.  

“Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.”Walt Whitman

 

For Your Weekend

March 31, 2017 / / 0 Comments
Lately I've been thinking about the farm in grew up on where the bright orange sunsets on a summer night or even a winter day are clearly visible because there is no great lake nearby to produce it's own weather pattern, which usually means cloudy. The screened in porch wraps around the front of the house, well no longer screened in, but beautiful big windows that let the breeze in and keep the bugs out. I spent more hours than I can count on the porch daydreaming, wondering about tomorrow and just sitting. It was the day of no cell phones, no social media to check, and mostly, not much tv, farmers and their families didn't much extra time for tv. I've been thinking about the farm I grew up on in the middle of nowhere Iowa. The road that goes by the house is still paved with gravel and is often quiet because there are only three other houses inhabiting that stretch of mile. It's easy to find your way in that neck of the woods because everything is measured in square miles and fields of corn or soybeans as far as the eye can see. I long for simplicity and and a slowed down pace, savoring moments at breakfast with friends, lunch with my daughter(s) or unhurried afternoons with him who loves me, watching college basketball, or reading in silence together. As Ann Voscamp said recently in one of her blog posts
Am I addicted to speed? Am I blurring the moments into one unholy smear?
And this from a book I read recently,
Is there any silent space in between thoughts?
Maybe because I am looking back on more years than I have in front of me, I want to take in each day as though it is my last. Not necessarily doing something big and bold, but making the most of what I've been given today.
  • Time to laugh.
  • Time to weep with those who weep.
  • Time to pray with those who need God to show up in a big way.
  • Time to prepare food and eat it with those I love whether the day in and day out of family, or anyone we have invited to our farm table.
  • Time to work and time to play, time to worship and to sleep.
  • Time to enjoy the outdoors, whether it is bright sunshine or dull dreary rain.
  • Time to enjoy today, because today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
I will rejoice today
  • where I live
  • what I"m doing
  • and who I'm loving.
Today is the day. Something to read for your weekend...A Cleans House and  a Wasted Life.
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