Well, big-little brother, it’s been 1,095 days since our last conversation. It was nice chatting with you on the phone that day; I just wish we’d done it more often. The boys and I were talking the other day about all the cool people you’ve probably met in heaven by now, and they were wondering if Jesus let you ride his white horse. I told them I didn’t know, but I imagine if you wanted a horse, he’d probably give you one of your own.
We miss you.
Matthew 5:36 implies that we can’t even turn one hair on our heads gray or not, so we don’t even have authority to swear. Let yes be yes.
“Free food,” said the note.
Coupon for his restaurant —
Chef’s Special for Mom!
One of my 7yos handed me a slip of paper yesterday on which he’d written: “Free food.” He leaned over and whispered, “You can keep it. It’s for free food at my restaurant that I’m going to build when I grow up.”
The New Year is probably the worst promise-breaking season. What resolutions do you really mean to keep this year?
We don’t usually set out to be promise-breakers, but we’ve all goofed at one time or another. Pause and reflect on promises you’ve made.
How often do you hear someone (or say yourself), “I swear …”? Oftentimes, people seem to use the phrase flippantly, as if to draw attention to what they are saying (“I swear, could this day get any worse?!” or “I swear I’ll never finish this stupid assignment!”)
What’s really the point in swearing something?
The dictionary defines the verb swear as “to make a solemn dedication or affirmation” or “to bind oneself by oath.” To swear is to make a promise/vow/irrevocable commitment. The mid-90s ballad by R&B band All-4-One (and in more recent years, John Michael Montgomery) uses the phrase “I swear …” to express a lover’s commitment—the type of vow that people exchange in a wedding ceremony. That’s a lot different from swearing about the weather or homework, isn’t it?
The Bible advises us in a couple of places to let our yes mean yes and our no mean no. In James 5, the reference is to suffering and our need to persevere with patience, because God is faithful. In other words, when God makes a promise, he holds fast to it. He will do it—no ifs, ands or buts!
Matthew 5 mentions oaths among a litany of other dos and don’ts, warning that swearing by anything—by heaven, earth or even your own name—is evil. I think the gist of Matthew 5:33-37 is similar to what the Greek playwright, Aeschylus, is credited with saying: “It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.” If we always mean yes when we say yes and always mean no when we say no, then we do not need to swear by anything, because our integrity will stand for us.
Let’s be mindful of the promises we make this week. Let us be people of integrity whose actions validate our words.
Spend time today thinking about 2012: When you think of yourself exactly one year from now, what do you want to see differently?
Do you have any words in your vocabulary that you misspell every, single, cotton-picking time you try to write them down? Meringue is one of those words for me. (Entrepreneurship and bureaucratic used to be slip-up words for me, too, but after years of writing grant proposals for the business school and taking enough poli sci courses, I think those words are finally embedded into my skull correctly! LOL)
I digress …
Low-carb German chocolate pie with sugar-free meringue
Unfortunately, this delicious German chocolate pie is pictured here only to taunt you; the recipe is not the purpose of today’s post. I *would* be happy to share it with you, but, you see, it was a total experiment that just-so-happened to turn out scrumptious. I made so many alterations and missteps along the way and failed to write down how much of this, that and the other. You’ll just have to trust me that it was yummy … and low-sugar, to boot! 🙂
What I will share with you, though, is the m-e-r-i-n-g-u-e topping! It is sugar-free, because I made it with Splenda/sucralose! I let it sit under the broiler for a few seconds too long, but let’s just call it caramelized instead of burnt, ok?
Meringue is very easy to make, if you know a few simple tricks. First of all, never try to whip it in a plastic bowl. I’ve always used glass, but metal might work – I’m not certain. There’s just something about plastic that won’t allow the egg whites to peak.
You can use carton egg whites (super easy and not too expensive) or separate eggs yourself. Don’t let even a smidgen of yolk into the mix!!
Using an electric hand mixer, begin whipping the egg whites on low speed until they start to get a little frothy. If you turn up the speed too quickly, you’ll splatter yourself. (Not that Yours Truly has ever done that – ha!) While whipping the eggs, slowly pour in the Splenda (if memory serves, I used about a cup of granulated Splenda for four egg whites).
As the mixture begins to thicken up, tap the surface with a fingertip and see if it leaves a peak formation. If not, keep whipping! (This is also a good opportunity to taste the meringue and see if you have added enough sweetener.) When you can tap the surface and leave a stiff peak, the meringue is ready.
Carefully scrape out the meringue (you don’t want to squish the fluffiness) and gently spread it on the pie … or just get a spoon and eat it straight from the bowl. I won’t judge. 🙂
What if the things that weigh on our hearts were visible for the world to see? What would change in your day-to-day life?
Are you guilty of the same superficial judgment that the Lord talked to Samuel about? Do you look at someone’s outward appearance or heart?
faith, sweat & tears 