You know that I’m hungry and feeling sorry for myself when I post about food twice in the same week.

I love Thai food; and my dairy-free and gluten-free wife and I can both enjoy Thai food.

Amy and I may disagree on which Thai restaurant has the best Thai food, but we don’t often complain if one or the other suggests we get take-out, especially after a long day of gardening.

Mercy

One evening after a long day of conquering weeds I called Reuan Thai in Osseo, MN and placed our order.

On June 13th, 1987 I married the girl of my dreams.

My dreams have not always been my reality.

For instance, we didn’t always agree. In fact, she once called me “wishy-washy” because I didn’t 100% agree with her political statement. I responded with a self-defensive snarky-pout, “I’m just open-minded!” We didn’t always agree the, nor do we always agree now.

And yet, my wife Amy continues to be someone I admire. She hungers for God, and hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Amy does so with grace and humility, in fact, if she reads this post she’ll be annoyed that I bragged about her and she’ll hate that she might not live up to someone’s expectations.

Hunger?

I have been on a carb-limiting diet for the past two weeks. I am quite aware of the self-pity, whiny attitude that I can have when i don’t get to have what I want, when I want it and as much as I want.

Jesus told his listeners, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” 1

I wish that I cared as much about my spiritual well-being as I do filling my belly.

1 – Matthew 5:6, NIV

Note image from Wikipedia

Blessed be Barack Obama. the President of the United States.
Blessed be Angela Merckel, the Chancellor of Germany.
Blessed be Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.
Blessed be Bill Gates, billionaire co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Blessed be Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

And, blessed be Gloria C. Mackenzie, lottery winner.

Blessed

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 2

Blessed are the meek – the humble, gentle and lowly – for the whole earth will belong to them. 3

Blessed be 84-year-old Gloria C. Mackenzie who purchase a Powerball lottery ticket, the same ticket that would win her $590 million, the largest undivided lottery jackpot in history. 1

Blessed by Gloria, and against all odds, blessed be the poor, hungry, grief-stricken and terrorized. Those were the people surrounding Jesus.

Throughout history the poor, hungry and grieving have been esteemed as noble; that because of their circumstances they are blessed from God. 2

Oddly, there are also many who – like in the book of Job – look on the poor, hungry and grieving and assume their circumstances are because of their own misdeeds. “They have sinned and deserve it.”

Remember me?

Like many men of the time, Elkanah had two wives. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. Hannah wanted to have children. 

One day Hannah and her husband were traveling to while the other wife stayed at home with the kids. On their journey to Shiloh her husband asked, “Hannah, why are you so sad?”

Heartbroken, Hannah replied, “Give me children.”

Elkanah loved Hannah.  Her words hurt.  Frustrated he said, “Am I God that I could give you children?” And he added, “Aren’t I better to you than many sons? Aren’t you satisfied with me?”

Stresses weigh us down.

When we’re screaming nonsense, pounding on walls, swearing about our circumstances, and mumbling under our breath, we need hope; because , “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.“  1

Worries tighten us up.

“If you are cheerful, you feel good; if you are sad, you hurt all over.” 2 Fortunately, there’s hope. 

And, now’s an ideal opportunity to introduce you to an uplifting, hope-filled song by India.Arie.

“There’s Hope“

Amy and I saw incredible beauty and riches in Hawaii, and we saw signs of tragedy and injustice.

Challenges

“How many steps does it take to become homeless? It depends.

Remember the owl in the old tootsie pop commercial? He would ask how many licks to get to the center of the pop; take a few and then chomp down on it. Task accomplished.

So needless to say it doesn’t take all that much to hit the streets for survival.

This Christmas week was very different. For the first time since we got married we did not travel.  We had a great time the 23rd — our Christmas — but the 24th & 25th felt a little empty and lonely.

Don’t get me wrong, we had a peaceful and blessed Christmas week, it was just different than in the past.

Perilous Presents

If our family and friends depended on me knowing their interests and needs they would never get anything.  Whether I’m being frugal or I’m ignorant, I simply don’t know what people like.

While many people try to avoid responsibility, Stanley Baker set another standard.

As reported in World Magazine, Stanley Baker bought a book at garage sale. The parking ticket he found inside the book was dated 1975. “And despite the fact that the parking ticket wasn’t issued to him—and was now 36 years past due—the Pentwater, Mich., 89-year-old figured that he might as well pay.”

So last month, Baker put the $1 payment for the 1975 ticket in the original envelope along with a note that read, “Better late than never,” and mailed it…”