Milk and Honey

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He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  Deuteronomy 26:9

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Over twenty times, the land promised to the Israelites was referred to as “a land flowing with milk and honey”.  Now I know why.  They were a new-born nation — babies in their relationship with God.  They needed milk, with a little honey added in for sweetness.

Back in the desert days, the people yearned for their old Egyptian fare.  In a classic case of selective memory they wailed, “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost.”  (Sure, food was free — but they weren’t.)  “Also, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” (I can understand them missing the taste of fresh melons, but leeks and onions?)

God didn’t entice His new nation to Canaan with the promise of pickles and garlic.  Oh, no.  Milk and honey was on the menu because God knew that’s what they needed.  It wasn’t a land flowing with steak and potatoes, burgers and fries, or beer and brats.  Wholesome milk with a touch of honey — perfect for a young community.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Psalm 34:8

Milk

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“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow up in your salvation.”  1 Peter 2:2

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Newborn babies have one thing on their minds — milk.

They crave it, they cry for it, they live for the next feeding.

When they are hungry, their miniature mouths open wide as they frantically search for the source, then land it and guzzle like there’s no tomorrow.

They suck with all their might, jaw muscles pulling, drawing, tight and strong.

Milk is what they desire — milk is what they need.

Without it they would die.

So they cry out every few hours for more and more and more.

Elijah and Eleanor inspire me.

I watch their single-minded intensity and I am envious.

To want something so desperately and to be so completely satisfied by the nourishment it gives —

they are teaching me how to love God’s Word.

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They also are reminding me that newborns require regular feedings and must be treated with gentleness and patience.

Neediness, dependence and messiness is to be expected.

Developing into a grown-up takes time.

May we give those newly born into faith the same kind of nurturing care.

Awesome Easter

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I hope you had a lovely Easter.

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I hope you breathed deep of the lillies.

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I hope you celebrated the empty tomb.

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I hope you worshiped the risen King of Kings.

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I hope you ate candy and cheesecake and strawberry pie.

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I hope you didn’t judge me when you drove by our house.

I hope you understood that just recently the snow banks melted enough to reveal the buried Holy Family.

I hope you know I begged PB to put the Christmas decor away before Easter

He tried.  Honestly, he did.

But they were iced into the ground.  Frozen solid.

So the pastor had a nativity scene set up in his yard for Easter.

Awesome.

Easter Beans

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jelly beansWhen I was a kid, I don’t remember hunting for a basket full of candy and toys at Easter time.  Instead, my mom hid jelly beans all over the house and I would spend most of the afternoon looking for the little gummy treats.  Maybe my parents didn’t want the sacred holiday to be overshadowed by the Easter bunny.  Or maybe sending me off to fill my own basket was a sure way to keep me occupied on a Sunday afternoon.

I was pretty good at searching out the sweets and always had plenty.  However, when my cousins came to spend a few weeks in the summer and we pulled out the hide-a-bed, inevitabley there would be a sticky bean under the cushions.  And in the fall, when I needed to look up something in the encyclopedias for school, a sneaky bean would roll off the top book shelf.  In December, when we moved the furniture around to make room for the Christmas tree, a rogue bean was usually found behind the piano.  It was like Easter kept showing up all year long, in the strangest places.

As I journey through the Bible this year, I’m finding that Easter still pops up in unlikely places.  In Exodus: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.” (Exodus 6:6 )  In Leviticus: “It is the blood that makes atonement.” (Lev. 17: 11)  In Psalms: “They have pierced my hands and feet.” (Psalm 22:16)  In Isaiah: “He bore the sin of many.”  (Isaiah 53:12)

Easter isn’t just a nice springtime holiday with yummy treats.

The resurrection of Jesus carries over into every day, all year long.

Like my jelly beans, the Easter story keeps springing up.

Keep up the hunt.

Holy Week

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There I was, thinking about how it’s already Holy Week…..

and I hadn’t even given it much thought.

I hadn’t contemplated the bread and the wine….

I hadn’t kept watch in the garden….

I hadn’t walked the Via Dolorosa.

There I was, thinking that Easter was creeping up on me

and that I might miss it this year.

I was wrong.

I have been experiencing Easter Life to the full.

Here I am, witness to life bursting forth from the dark womb.

Here I am, staying awake into the night to watch and pray.

Here I am, washing the feet of my daughter, serving her needs.

Here I am, holding in my very hands life — downy soft, sweet smelling life.

Indeed, this has been the holiest of Holy Weeks.

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Welcome Home

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Eli and Ella weren’t impressed with their welcome home sign.

In fact, they didn’t even blink an eye.

Tucked inside their cozy car seats, they slept through the whole thing.

But coming home for the first time is a big event and needs to be celebrated.

So while the babies slept, Mommy and Daddy and Nonnie rejoiced…….

…..and took a nap.

Best party ever.

Baby Watch Day 2

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Babies now-a-days have it so good.

Back when I was born, babies were lucky to have a rattle, a scuffed up pair of leather shoes and an old tin cup.

We didn’t have all this highfalutin’ paraphernalia.

No siree, we got by with a few boxes and an imagination.

(Do I sound like a grandma yet?)

Actually, I can’t wait to spoil these sweet peas.

(There.  Now I do sound like a grandma.)

Oh, hurry and come.

I long to call you both by name.