This is a response to the WordPress daily writing prompt, “What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?”
I love the one percent goal. If you become 1 percent better at something each day, you will be 37 times better at that in a year. Those small incremental increases pay off in a big way.
What does that one percent look like? Read one more sentence in a book than yesterday. Or increase the weight you lift in a workout by one percent. Write one more sentence in your journal than yesterday. Run or walk one percent further than yesterday. Drink one percent more water each day. Practice your instrument one percent longer.
It doesn’t have to be a daily goal. Save one percent more money than last month. Run one percent further than last month. Read one percent more than last month. Whatever. Before you know it, you’ve leveled up your life through small, insignificant improvements.
I’ll often ask myself, “What’s my one percent today?” I don’t have to improve everything every day. But there is always something I can strive to improve by one percent.
Your children will be like olive shoots around your table (Psalm 128:3).
When we went to Israel in 2019, our tour guide’s husband owned an olive grove. Since olives are mentioned often in scripture, we took a side trip one day to see a real olive farm.
Our guide made sure we saw shoots growing up from the base of an olive tree. They would soon be trimmed away. But she said, “Look, it’s just like the psalm: olive shoots around the table.”
I loved that moment when ancient words suddenly came to life before my eyes. All of my children have children, olive shoots around their table. And now I understand what a blessing that is. Who knew grand parenting would be such a blessing?
My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste (Proverbs 24:13)
All of a sudden, in the middle of Solomon’s wisdom couplets, I find instructions on what to eat.
Honey has many health benefits. Some quick research reveals that honey soothes coughs, strengthens the immune system, and is good for your heart. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It wards off bacteria and viruses. It’s a natural sweetener that is also good for your gut. In can relieve allergy symptoms, too. God created bees so we’d have honey.
Notable bible figures ate honey. Samson ate honey from a beehive he found in the carcass of a lion. Saul’s son Jonathan was able to fight valiantly after eating some honey. John the Baptist survived in the wilderness across the Jordan eating honey with locusts.
Old Testament law prohibited eating badgers, crabs, owls, lizards, and many other creatures. The list of things we should eat is small: honey, bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper, and that’s all that comes to mind. (Feel free to add to my list.) There is much God permits his people to eat, but few things he commands. I don’t know if this counts, but Paul tells Timothy to drink some wine to settle his stomach.
I put honey in my tea. I really like Honey Nut Cheerios. Honey buns are pretty good. I don’t know if they still make Honeycomb cereal, but that’s really good, even if it’s laden with added sugar. I put a little honey in a salmon teriyaki glaze. So honey-wise, I think I’m doing okay. Everything else? It’s a good thing there’s grace.
I spent last weekend exploring Nashville, Indiana. It’s a small town filled with great little restaurants and shops. As I wandered through boutiques, bookshops, and toy stores, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How do these places stay in business?”
Each was a large store with a huge inventory of merchandise. The overhead for such a storefront would have been expensive. These businesses would have to sell a lot to stay in business.
I did a little research to find out how these little shops stayed in business. Here’s what I learned.
Many of these businesses are just expensive hobbies. They lose money every year, but the owners enjoy interacting with the customers.
Some businesses exist on a few large sales or a busy tourist season to survive. The rest of the year, they sell virtually nothing.
Other businesses have strong online sales that pays for a physical presence in a small town.
A few people own the whole building and rent out most of it. This makes up for their unprofitable business.
Some of my reading suggested that these businesses are covers for illegal activity. I guess that’s possible, but I have my doubts.
One bike shop owner explained that he made most of his money making repairs, not selling bikes. Makes sense.
I still don’t understand the business model for most of these small stores. Without many customers or sales, how do they stay in business?
When Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel stage an invasion of the southern nation of Judah, the prophet Isaiah relays a message from God: “Don’t worry about it.”
In fact, the Lord says, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God” (Isaiah 7:11). It can be anything. No limits. Just name it Ahaz, and God will put any doubts to rest.
Have you ever wanted a sign from God? Have you ever wished he would give you some kind of tangible indication that you were making the right choice.
I think all of us envy Gideon’s experience with God in Judges 6. He receives two definitive signs from God to affirm that he is the one who will save Israel. The first is a dewy fleece on a bone dry threshing floor in the morning. The second is the opposite, a dry fleece when the rest of the ground is damp with dew. He gets both. He’s the guy.
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test” (v12).
An offer like that rarely, if ever, comes along. You can ask for something big. Or small. Whatever you need to confirm God’s Word.
Ahaz says, “No thanks.”
It’s not because Ahaz is super faithful and doesn’t need proof of God’s protection. It’s just the opposite. Ahaz doesn’t trust God. He will buy protection from Assyria, a bigger and badder bully than Syria and Israel put together. He doesn’t want a sign because he has chosen to reject God.
If you ask for and get a sign from God, you’re locked in, aren’t you? You’ve painted yourself into a corner. You might not like the answer. Too bad. There is no doubt what God wants you to do.
Plus, you’re off the hook. If something goes wrong, it’s not your fault. It was his idea.
I’ve had conversations with people who wanted my opinion on something. At least that’s what they said. But that’s not what they wanted. They knew what they wanted to do. They wanted approval or permission to escape accountability.
Requesting a sign from God is a dead giveaway that you don’t trust him or his word. It exposes a lack of faith or even rejection of God.
God wasn’t surprised. In fact, he says, “I’m going to give you a sign anyway.” By the time a virgin conceives and gives birth, my plan will be in motion.
This sign would come to complete fulfillment much later, when Jesus was born, God’s plan from before the creation of the world.
My post today is a response to the WordPress prompt, “What was the last live performance you saw?”
We took our three granddaughters to see Disney On Ice at VyStar Veterans Auditorium in Jacksonville, Florida. It was our Christmas present to them, even though we went at the end of March. This year’s show featured performances from two of their favorite movies, Frozen and Encanto, so they were thrilled.
Some time in my youth, I went to see the Ice Capades at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. The only thing I remember about that show was Mr. Frick, a skater who could lean way back to skate under very low poles limbo-style.
The three girls, ages 6, 4, and 2, were dressed in purple princess dresses. Most of the girls in attendance wore every variety of princess dress imaginable. The level of excitement was through the roof.
Of course we stopped for some snacks. With a tray full of cookies, Cheetos, waters, and a cheese tray for my wife and me, we headed for our seats. Row V facing the stage meant we had a great view. We only had to wait ten minutes before the lights dimmed and the show began.
The first ones out on the ice were Goofy and Donald Duck, followed by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, who introduced the first half of the show, Frozen. The talented skaters looked just like Elsa, Anna, and Christoff, along with Olaf and Sven, whose costume accomodated two skaters. Snow fell from the rafters as the skaters jumped and spun to all of our favorite songs.
The twenty-minute intermission seemed too long, but the Zamboni had to smooth the ice while the cast re-costumed for Encanto. The two-year old granddaughter lost interest after a few songs, so I took her out to walk around. We joined many moms, dads, and tired children who had sat in one place as long as they could. Two forty-five minute shows is a lot for the littles.
I thought the cast was very talented. I only noticed one slip and fall. I wonder where they find skaters for these shows. I also wonder what it’s like to skate seven or more shows a week for a season.
The tickets weren’t expensive, but the merch was. So many were waving forty dollar bubble wands and light up scepters. Outside the venue, vendors lined the streets. Inside the halls were lined with souvenir stands. Someone makes a lot of money from these events.
I doubt we’ll go to another ice show like this. It was fun, but once is enough. When my four-year old granddaughter walked in, she exclaimed, “I’ve never seen real ice before!”
A “through the bible” devotion from Ecclesiastes 1.
The exasperated writer of Ecclesiastes, whom we assume to be King Solomon, concludes that life is a waste of time. It’s vain, empty, fleeting, and like chasing the wind. It’s the same day after day after day. And then you die.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. (Ecclesiastes 1:9,10)
And then Jesus comes along.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)
This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21:1)
Jesus breaks the monotonous cycle of a predictable and disappointing life. He steps into our world with something new. A new commandment based on his sacrificial love. He engineers a new covenant based on his loving sacrifice. He promises more than just a makeover. We can look forward to a whole new world.
Solomon tried to scratch his itch with pleasure, projects, hard work, and wealth. He had it all. But he was never satisfied. The things of this world never truly satisfy. They come and go. God, however, sticks around. He’s eternal. He, and he alone, quenches our thirst.
Bored? Tired of the same old same old? We all are.
“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil” (Ecclesiastes 2:24).
Little kids know all about this. They live in the moment. They will devote all their energy and attention to a donut in a donut shop as if nothing else in the world matters or exists. Every sprinkle is important. Icing is meant to be gently licked. They have all the time in the world.
Me? A donut is three bites. In the car. On the way to…wherever. Big bite, fast chew, hard swallow, rinse and repeat.
i just want to slow down. Just sit and eat the donut. Savor each individual sprinkle. Enjoy every lick of icing. Leave the rest for someone else.
I want to savor every moment, bite, sip, and swallow.
When my wife asked her brother, “Where should we go for a tenderloin sandwich?” both he and his wife responded, “Amazing Joes.”
My wife and I were in Columbus, Indiana, for our nephew’s wedding. He was the youngest of my brother-in-law’s four children, and the last to get married. The rehearsal dinner at the Brown County Inn was fun, delicious, and the first time we met our nephew’s fiancee. We were overdressed for the wedding in downtown Columbus. We assumed it would be dressy, but you know what happens when you assume. Oh, well, better to over- than underdress. The reception at the Abe Martin Inn in Brown County State Park was nice and we got to see a lot of the other side of the family.
On Sunday, we went to my brother-in-law’s church, and then headed out to lunch. As soon as we sat down, this gentleman, in a tye-died suit sat down across from our booth. I could not think of anything but, “Wow.”
After that initial reaction, the questions began flowing.
Where do you buy a suit like that? Go ahead. Say it. “Amazon.” Actually, you can get the “Mens Funky Fade Stylish 2 Piece Party Suit” at Vanquishe.com for under $200.
Why would you wear a suit like that? That’s a more difficult question. Since I can’t search for that answer, I can only speculate. Did he want attention? He got it. Lose a bet? Perhaps. Next time wager some cash. Make a statement? Could be, but I don’t speak that language. “My other suit was at the cleaners.” Happens all the time, right?
I must be out of the loop. He’s looking at me, in my navy khakis and blue button-down shirt, thinking, “Where did he get that outfit?” At his church, that was the rule, not the exception. His yellow shirt and pink tie announced, “This is how to dress.”
After we paid our check and got up to leave, I noticed his Marine Corps combat cap. I’m indebted to him for his service to our country. My wife noticed a Genesis commentary on his table. A pastor? At the very least, a brother in Christ.
When he walks into a restaurant, black and grey suits make him look twice. He’s asking the same questions. And he reaches the same conclusion. There’s an outfit for everyone, and everyone has an outfit. Be surprised, be amazed, be puzzled, but don’t be judgmental.
Waite for it... 