Special Feature: Fasting and Feasting A Lenten Adventure Jar

The third featured jar is the Fasting and Feasting: A Lenten Adventure Jar. 

This jar comes with 14 sticks and a book that explains each fasting and feasting idea in more detail. 

The 7 red sticks are for fasting. 

The 6 purple sticks are for Sunday feasting. 

The 1 yellow stick is for feasting on Easter. 

Each stick has an idea on one side and a blank idea tag on the other side. So if one idea isn't your "cup of tea", you can write your own idea on the back.

This date idea jar is $7. 

You can use either link below to contact me about purchasing this jar. 
https://sites.google.com/view/lizscreationsdateideas/home
https://www.facebook.com/LizCreationsDateIdeas

Whom Do We Serve?

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus warns us that not one of us can serve two masters. We will either A) hate one and love the other, or B) be devoted to one and despise the other. He finishes with a statement that we can't serve both God and money. 

There is a temptation for us to read this passage and pat ourselves on the back because "we don't serve money". Yet, just because we don't fit the example Jesus provided doesn't mean that we don't have a second master. 

Some of us serve the master of a Political Party. We rationalize this by saying that the Party we serve IS in line with God, so it's still just one master. However, there isn't a political party in existence that is fully aligned with God's kingdom. When we act like our preferred party is closer to God's will, we are attaching the sin and deceitfulness of man's political actions to the message we are telling the world about Christ, dragging Jesus's name through the mud in the process.

Some of us serve the master of Family. We idolize our parents or our kids or grandkids. We hold them too tightly and pray more for their safety instead of their obedience to God. We pray against a call to missions so they can stay nearby. 

Some of us serve the master of Work. We are a nation of workaholics. We are constantly checking our e-mails and practically always on call. We give our jobs our best time and energy, the firstfruits of our day. 

Some of us serve the master of Independence. We will do things ourselves and we hide our struggles from the very people who could help us if they knew we could use help. Is pride preventing us from asking for help or is shame the silencer? We pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and stand on our own two feet. Ignoring the "one another" commands of the Bible and the interdependence we are supposed to have. 

Some of us serve the master of Convenience and Comfort. We buy what we want, when we want it, for the sake of our comfort, so we won't be inconvenienced. We have stored up treasures on earth by spending money and investing time in things that won't matter when the world ends. We spend money on our wants when others are dying from a deficiency of their needs. 

What competes with God for the role of master in your life? 

(If you're having trouble figuring that out, did any of these claims offend you? Start there)

How has the second master claimed your time, energy, and allegiance? 

Self-Care Sunday: Recognize Your Stress

This will be a semi-regular series (I hope) that looks at ways we can take care of ourselves as the pandemic is in its third year.

Take a moment to check-in with yourself physically.

Are you tense? 

Is any part of you in pain? 

What physical needs do you have? Hunger? Thirst? The urge to use the restroom?

Now consider: which of your physical responses are tied to stress? 

Are you tense because of stress? 

Is your pain (headache, stomachache) because of stress? 

Are you solving your physical needs with healthy or unhealthy choices? 

It is perfectly natural to be stressed during a global pandemic. 

We have been carrying this stress for over two years. 

Yet, if we don't acknowledge that we are stressed, we are hindered in our ability to process and handle our stress in healthy ways. 

What are your signs that you are stressed? 

How often are you aware that you are stressed? 

How do you respond to stress?

How do you treat yourself when you are stressed? 

How do you treat others when you are stressed? 

*Disclaimer* I am not a doctor or a psychologist. The opinions expressed in this series are my own and should not replace professional advice. 

Forgiving to be Forgiven

In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus tells us that if we forgive others who sin against us, God will forgive us, but if we don't forgive others, God won't forgive us. Similarly, Luke 6:37 warns us A) don't judge and we won't be judged, B) don't condemn and we won't be condemned, and C) forgive and we will be forgiven. 

I don't feel that this passage gets a lot of the limelight in sermons. It's much more comfortable to preach that God forgives us when we repent, but this passage makes us uncomfortable. Suddenly, our own forgiveness from God is linked to if we forgive others who wrong us. 

But this isn't an isolated text. Jesus also told the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (NIV heading) or the Unforgiving Debtor (NLT heading). In that parable, we see that when someone has had their debts forgiven by the King, but go on to lack compassion, mercy, and forgiveness for a fellow person, then that unforgiving person will be punished. 

Who do you need to forgive? 

How have you withheld forgiveness from someone? 

In what ways has God shown you mercy, but you failed to show mercy to others? 

Special Feature: What's So Special about these Date Idea Jars

You might be asking yourself, why are these date idea jars so special?

There are 4 main reasons these date idea jars are great!!

Customizable: If a suggested activity isn't your cup of tea, you can write in your own! 

Reusable: Either replace a stick right after your date OR wait until you go through them all before allowing repeats! 

Inclusive: Gender-neutral language and suitable for married or unmarried couples! 

Blushless: Nothing off-color or risqué. Nothing to make Grandma blush!

You might be asking yourself, why get a date idea jar instead of a date night kit? 

Yes, date night kits come pre-assembled...for one date night, but then you are left with a shell of a kit without the components. 

Do you restock and use it again? 

Do you throw it away after it has served its purpose? 

The date idea jars allow you to choose the foods and activities that YOU prefer. While it gives suggestions, you can make each idea your own by how you approach each idea. 

Instead of paying for ingredients that you don't need, you can use the prompt to create your own unique date.

Instead of receiving processed, shelf-stable foods, you can buy fresh foods that you enjoy. 

Where's Your Treasure?

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us not to store up treasures for ourselves on earth. He reminds us that moths and vermin destroy precious things and thieves break in and steal treasure. INSTEAD, we should be storing up treasures in heaven (where moths and vermin can't destroy and thieves can't break in and steal). He concludes with a final warning that our hearts are where our treasure is. 

So...we haven't been "living out" this command. We have treasures on earth. We stuff our houses full of treasures, at least in our eyes. We spend money on things that we want, but don't really need. We have "retail therapy" to comfort ourselves when we are upset or bored. 

Yet, we are supposed to be storing treasure for ourselves in heaven. Jesus is vague as to what the treasure in heaven is. 
Is our treasure the souls that we told the Good News to? 
Is our treasure any and all virtues that we have practiced and applied to our lives? 
Is our treasure the vices that we have overcome? 
Is our treasure simply the future promise of spending eternity in God's presence worshiping and praising Him? 

We can theorize, but this text does not spell out exactly what our heavenly treasure is. Many times, we are uncomfortable with uncertainty. We want to know exactly what we are dealing with. But we should be very wary of teachers who claim to be able to turn gray areas in the Bible to black and white directives. We should be reading the passages, like the Bereans in Acts 17, to make sure that the speaker isn't shoe-horning the passage to fit their own worldview. The Bible should be what shapes our worldview, instead of what we cut, carve, and hack to support our position, biases, and prejudices.

Stop making purchases this week. Only buy what is necessary for survival (healthy food, water, gas to get to work, etc.) Take a hard look at the purchases that you have in your house. How much have you spent on clothes, décor, or non-essential items? How could that money have been used to glorify God and further His kingdom goals? 

Consider what is needed for your survival. If a house fire destroyed everything in your house, what would be the minimum you would need (clothes, dishes, space) to rebuild?  

How is your treasure on earth holding your heart captive? 
What would it look like to live each day with a heavenly treasure? 

Interacting with Others

In Matthew 5:38-42,  Jesus contrasts what we have heard ("eye for eye, and tooth for tooth"), with what He is telling us ("do not resist an evil person"). He gives 5 examples of what He means. 
1) If someone slaps us on one cheek, turn the other cheek to them too.
2) If someone wants to sue us and take our shirt, give them our coat as well.
3) If someone makes us go one mile, go a second mile with them.
4) We are to give to the one who asks us for help.
5) We are not to turn away from someone who wants to borrow from us. 

Similarly, the parallel passage in Luke 6:29-31, outlines 
1) turning the other cheek to the one who slaps us, 
2) giving our shirt to the one who takes our coat, 
(point 3 above is not repeated in this passage)
4) giving to those who ask us, and 
5) not demanding people return our stuff to us.  

He finishes this section by commanding us to "do to others as you would have them do to you."
This teaching is HARD. It goes against our natural inclinations as humans to get revenge, defend our stuff, and judge if those asking for help are WORTHY. 

Christians, in the United States in particular, have struggled with these commands. We idolize the patriot, the underdog, and the hero. We defend our possessions with deadly force. We seek revenge when we feel wronged. If someone slaps us, we punch back. If someone sues us, we counter sue. We resist being asked to do things and try to get out of unwanted commitments as soon as possible. We refuse to help those asking us to help them. 

May we REPENT of our attitudes and behaviors that run counter to Jesus' commands. May we APPLY these teachings, not as intangible "goodwill" that doesn't require action of us, but as commands that should shape our lives. 

How do we want to be treated? That is how we should be treating other people, including our political opponents, people of other religions and nationalities, and those on the margins of society. 

Special Feature: The Endless Date Idea Jar

The second featured jar is An Endless Date Idea Jar. 

Who knows you and your partner better than yourselves? 

Use the prompts on the front side to fill out your own date ideas on the back. 

Then take turns pulling an idea, doing the activity, and writing down a new activity for the future.

The blue sticks give suggestions for At Home Activities.

The green sticks give suggestions for Game Time.

The yellow sticks give suggestions for Visiting a Town.

The red sticks give suggestions for Restaurants.

The brown sticks give suggestions for Double Dates.

The purple sticks give suggestions for Recreating a Past Date.

This date idea jar is $10. 

You can use either link below to contact me about purchasing this jar. 
https://sites.google.com/view/lizscreationsdateideas/home
https://www.facebook.com/LizCreationsDateIdeas