Yet, again, another little ditty about the purpose of this blog...
Psalms 34:8: "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Too many people don't eat a balanced diet for their faith. They only go to one spiritual restaurant, one cook, and generally eat the same type of meals all the time. Or they generally gorge on "fast food" or "diet food", stuff that may fill you up but doesn't really provide the nourishment that your spiritual life needs to grow a robust, healthy and vibrant walk. I love to dine on meals prepared from many different cooks from unique and out of the way restaurants and from completely different eras.
He causes the grass to grow for the cattle and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine which makes man's heart glad, so that he may make his face glisten with oil and food which sustains man's heart. -Psalms 104:14-15
"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. " (Matthew 9:14-17, KJV).
The gospel has many vintages that have been bottled at a thousand different vineyards. As with wine, each soil, preparation process, environment, blend of grapes and the talent and skill of the wine maker contribute to the overall quality and flavor of the wine. But we often fall into a rut of eating and drinking only the same things and in fact we often get habitually used to some stuff and can get antagonistic to other things that are new or outside our knowledge or experience.
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, 'The old is good.'"- Luke 5:37-39
My blog isn't intended to be a place to only serve one kind of food or wine. You will find fresh servings of old favorites and old recipes too! Some cooks you may know and many you may not but all have a commitment to seeing God's people fed and for them to grow up into Christ. You may like some dishes and not others, but do you abandon a restaurant because of one thing on the menu that you may not like? Do you remove your wife from the kitchen because she fails to please you with some meal she didn't quite make perfectly or to your persnickety tastes?
Loosen up folks...are we really this constipated?
If you think I am "weak in faith" then please follow the commands of Paul to the believers in Rome: "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgement on his opinions." -Rom. 14:1; and remember Jesus said that the measure you use to judge is the measure that will be used to judge you.
4 comments:
Well said. I enjoy the variety from here in Indiana.
That's why I love your blog, Pastor Eric, and why it's become a huge part of my spiritual "diet". I look forward to reading your thoughts, and the thoughts of others on their own blogs or in the comments they post on your blog, on a daily basis.
God has really shown me in the past few months how important it is to feed our spirits, and it's become a daily practice for me. While at one time in my life it would have been a burden or a chore, I now long for and anticipate and seek out God's voice speaking through as many avenues as possible. I would much rather read the Bible, check out a Christian book or website, watch an inspirational movie, etc, than to sit and read a magazine full of the latest Hollywood gossip or watch some brain-numbing program on T.V.
How many of us are content to do nothing more than attend church on Sunday and possibly Wednesday and think that's enough? It's definitely a good start, but how can we expect to grow and mature if we feed our spirits 4 hours a week and spend the rest of our waking hours feeding our flesh?
Your blog with all of it's flavor and spice is a precious blessing to many who have eyes to see and ears to hear and a desire to know our creative, colorful, multi-faceted God more intimately.
There is much I would like to say about this subject. Most of my Christian life I have seen raised eyebrows when I have mentioned an author I have read. There is a mentality in some that if we expose ourselves to a broad range of thought we will put our faith in peril. I think just the opposite. The great thinkers of all ages have read voraciously, and that is what gives perspective. I think we first need to be grounded in the faith but once we are and love God we will hear His voice and see His hand even in the wheat fields and rising bread. I first felt conviction of sin through a secular song. Mythology teaches one to spiritually apply truth.
Atheists cause us to test and prove our beliefs. Heretics to study. Humanists cause us to compare our actions. Philosophy to stretch and question. Poetry to color all and sensitize the soul.
Or......we could just watch Desperate Housewives.
Love Dad
In defense of nepotism: I agree with my Dad and brother!
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