Isn’t this a beautiful picture?  Looks like a day coming to a close on the Pacific Coast.  Actually this is a sunrise over the Indian Ocean on the east coast of Sri Lanka.  Such a peaceful image.  Such beautiful people, a beautiful country.

Hope you saw my Friday Fun post. Humble Pie is a real thing not just a figure of speech. I am going to try that recipe this week; thankfully my family likes savory pie for dinner on occasion and a steak pie sounds yummy! But strawberry rhubarb sounds better!

That is really how we are isn’t it? We would rather have things easy or fun and to have our own way than to have to give way to someone else. Dessert is better than veggies in some minds. I have been mulling around the difference between humility and humiliation since last Friday when I was hunting for a picture of a pie to use on the blog. I have a few thoughts and a couple of questions.

We want recognition for a job well done. You have seen it in a child’s face when they finish a chore. You have felt the need when you have done a good deed that was almost hidden from view. We all have. Our self wants an Atta Boy! But what about when the opposite kind of attention comes? The kind of attention that points to a mistake or misunderstanding? What of our need for recognition then? Don’t you want to just have the ability to become invisible? To have the elven cloak that was given to Frodo? I know I do.

Along the Way there are many opportunities to learn the difference between humility and humiliation. Some are public, like tripping and falling in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. True story. I did it this year. Hmm. You don’t need me to define those two words for you but I do want to remind you of the importance of living out the difference. Being embarrassed by a mistake does not mean you lack humility; how you respond to the correction of your mistake will demonstrate the difference in your life. Do we assert that we are in the right when there is a conflict? Do we demand we get our way? Do we look for the recognition for our actions by talking about our accomplishments? If you or I say yes then we lack humility in that area (or maybe in all areas? Ouch!)

Jesus helps us with how our behavior needs to look as we walk along the Way in Luke 14:7 – 11. This isn’t the only spot in Scripture we can see the difference between humility and humiliation. Paul exhorted us to remember how Jesus modeled humility for us in Philippians 2:5-8.

Big sandals to fill no doubt. But if you are a Christ follower you have the beauty of the indwelling Spirit who equips you to make the choice to grow in humility rather than demanding your own way. So here is my question: Do you walk with Jesus along the Way? Following Jesus is both a one time decision and a process involving moving from one model of life and behavior (self-centered) to a very different model of life (God-centered). Walking along the Way is full of change. The Way of faith is the ultimate grand adventure! For the Way up is really the Way down. It is really living out the difference between humility and humiliation.

Doesn’t this look yummy? I had so much fun hunting for a picture that I had in mind for today’s post. Ten in the morning looking at photos of pies may not be the best idea if you are trying not to eat too much, but this particular pie stood out because of its name: Humble Pie
I don’t know if you have ever used the saying “eating humble pie” but the above link tells a brief history of the term and gives a modern version of the recipe for what sounds like a delicious main dish!
In my next post I’ll tell you why I went down the rabbit trail hunting for pictures of pies. For now you can learn two new things by checking out the link! Happy Friday!

Being an author is pretty time intensive. Funny thing, writing is connected to reading. Who knew? Researching sources, gathering material for writing queries, finding pictures for this blog all take time. It is worthwhile time because along the way I encounter these wonderful Divine appointments with people or their writings.

Recently I came across a piece that simply posed questions for us to think about and discuss. The point was, if you are tired of shallow connecting — “Hi how are you?” “Fine” “Me too” “How are the kids? Work?” “Good” “me too” then taking time to pose any or all of these questions would likely take a conversation past the mundane to a little deeper connection.

Questions of Consequence:

1. What is hard for you?

2. What are your joys?

3. What do you hope for?

Going deeper with people is following Jesus. Think about His conversations. Of course He had perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom which we all lack. But I would say that taking the time, making the connection that we all crave at some level, honors the individual and it honors the Lord.

Try these questions out the next time you get to hang out with someone. Let me know how it goes!

I am not ready. I want to be. I long to be ready at any moment, but I am distracted. I am distracted by the dishes, the laundry, the dust, the paperwork. I can’t seem to put a routine together because something or someone comes along the Way to change my plans.

Wait. Watch. Prepare. I want to be available to those in need of a good Word. I study. I pray. I wait. I watch. But still I don’t feel ready.

What gets in your Way of being ready? What are you getting ready for? This picture is simply a road sign but it struck me thinking about the paradigm of sharing our faith.

Peter, who walked and talked with Jesus along the Way, tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

We as followers along the Way are to live full of hope we walk in this world. We show hope in the Way we struggle, suffer loss, live daily and transparently before others. Jesus is the Way. If we follow His Way we see our paradigm set forth. It is not religion. That can distract us from the Way. Jesus shows us the Father, shows us Himself. If we watch carefully we will see how to follow Him along the Way.

This is faith walking. We don’t see Jesus face to face yet, but we have His Word, His promises and His presence through the Holy Spirit to help us along the Way. We have each other to come alongside in challenging times, if we are living transparently in our need.

Getting ready is a life long pursuit. Being ready just means being real with where we are along the Way. Keep setting apart Jesus Christ as Lord in your heart by moving yourself off the throne. Keep faith walking. Keep getting ready and you will be ready.

Join me?

I don’t know if you will find this photo as funny as I did when I took it last December, but it really struck my funny bone at the time.

Later when I was looking at it I thought maybe it was a little melancholy (or maybe I was feeling a little melancholy!)

How does this strike you today?

How do you like the new look of my blog? I have been struggling with the perception I had of the appearance of my layout; colors, size you know the details! It was too cut and paste and didn’t really appeal to me. I kept hunting for how to make it more my own (for free of course!) Found a cute site (the link is in the upper left) that offers lots of fun backgrounds (thanks Penny!) and other goodies to customize your blog site. If you’re blogging, check it out! Enough of the fluff!

Yesterday’s post I talked about the idea of paradigms powering our perceptions. Our model or pattern affects how we look at something or someone. The big idea here is does your paradigm fully work for you? How do you perceive circumstances that you find yourself in right now? We have so many paradigms as I mentioned but the one I would really like to explore is faith. This paradigm is at work in your life even if you don’t stop and take a look at it. Your model or pattern that was handed to you from your family affects your perceptions today. Big concepts like trust aren’t always openly discussed in a family but what your parents showed you about faith and trust as a child has imprinted your paradigm and thus your perceptions about faith.

What you say you believe and what you demonstrate with your actions may not always line up and that is due to your paradigm. Do you find yourself fearful and you don’t know why? Are you prone to worry and want to be done with that struggle? Look at the model you grew up with. The power of modeling for the learning process of children is well known: often something important is “caught” not “taught”. The tendency toward fear may have been subtly modeled and you didn’t even realize it. All is not lost! Paradigms and perceptions can be changed.

I will go so far as to say that your faith paradigm is the most important pattern for you to examine and align and realign throughout life. What we do and say is important; people close to us as well as those strangers we come across are watching how we interact. If you claim the name of Jesus, how you follow Him along the Way is THE most important paradigm to keep looking at. More on this later…

Have you read this book? If you haven’t I recommend it. Here’s why: it is fiction, first and foremost. It deals with deep hurts that we all have even though we push them down or away. It gives you somethings to ponder and we all need to be thinking!

Here is a quote that made me stop reading and think about the depth of these words.

“Paradigms power perceptions and perceptions power emotions.
Most emotions are responses to perceptions–what you think is true about a given situation.”

I want to unpack this statement a little. Paradigm–“an example that serves as a model or pattern, especially one that forms the basis of a methodology or theory” We all have models or patterns that we follow, and sometimes without even realizing what they are and how they impact us. Parenting, marriage, roles in the family, are all examples of paradigms that we have that we may not even think about.

So read that quote again, filling in a particular paradigm you have. Take time to think it through in how it affects your daily life. Does your paradigm have a positive affect on you and others? Does your paradigm need adjusting to be more effective for your life?

Now specifically look at the paradigm of your faith. Many people don’t stop to think through what they believe and if what they believe lines up with how they live. Take some time to think about deep, eternal matters. I’d love to talk with you about your thoughts; no judgment, just open discussion.

Speaking of open–be open to reading the Shack. It is not doctrine, it’s fiction. But I would go so far as to say it can be a tool to move your paradigms a little!

Did the title make you curious? Some quotes I collect are simple, some profound. This one is profound in its simplicity. I have to give finder’s credit to my friend Susie who is a terrific quote hunter! (among many other skills she possesses)