In Case You Were Wondering If You Should Write it Down

As students work on personal essays over the next few weeks, we consider what we might pass on. We offer our life experience to others--the pain, the beauty, the joy, the despair--to provide insight.

Mary Pipher explains that "with personal essays, we turn our own lives into teachable moments for others."

Why shouldn't we do this work? Why shouldn't this become part of our spiritual practice, as important as prayer or reading the Bible or worship?

I consider how in Psalm 78:3-5, the poet writes:

Things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.

Or in Psalm 102:18, we know the reason for writing it down:

 Let this be written for a future generation,    that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.

What if we decided we will not hide our stories? What if we wrote down the deeds, the power, and the wonders God has accomplished and displayed in our own lives (because they were never just for us alone anyway)?

We will go and write, so it can be an everlasting witness.





 

An 8 Year Old's Dream Superbowl Food

She wants to bring her own appetizer to the party. Something she made, that she will think is delicious, and that everyone will gobble up.

She won't even try my crab dip. The crab dip has her concerned that this party won't have any food she'll want to eat.

"OK," I say. "What will you make?"

"Pizza Puffs."

Using Bisquick on the bottom of the mini muffin pans, a little quiche-making tool, a jar of marinara sauce, and some chopped up pepperoni and salami, she's off cooking. She immensely dislikes cheese. No cheese.

She's the voice of young people everywhere who don't want fancy appetizers with seafood. In a 350 degree oven (about 8 minutes later), they emerge from the oven. She's beaming about her Superbowl Pizza Puffs for Children.

Now, I'm off to make the crab dip for me--but only after I stuffed three of these in my mouth. So delicious!

Enjoy your evening, friends.

"In the morning, O Lord, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

I read in Psalm 5 when David reports: "In the morning, O Lord, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

It's morning time. I position my pen above my journal and imagine God asking, "Is there anything you need? Anything at all? Is there any concern you might have? Any at all? Might I be of assistance?"

It seems so bizarre that the sovereign, all-powerful Lord of the Universe would attend to us like this. I remember in Psalm 33:15 that "God forms the hearts of all and considers everything they do." Everything. 

What if I lived like David did, spreading out my hands in prayer in the morning with all the concerns of the day and then waiting in expectation?

I write all the requests down that clutter my mind. I pour it all out right down to the silliest and most seemingly inconsequential (that Merlin would let us hold him or that my daughter will absolutely love her new glasses or that I'll think of something yummy to make for the Superbowl party). Inviting God into it all feels so nice this morning.

I think that's what it's supposed to feel like each morning.

I pray over the Big Things--sick friends, hurting neighbors, anxious thoughts, major national and world concerns--but I also remember that God asks me to cast all my cares upon Him because He cares for me.

Merlin's gaining security. Kate loves her new glasses and wanted to wear them around town today. I'm making crab dip for the party.