today's t-shirt.

So, I had this whole thing typed out the other day, and I did something wrong and it all disappeared. Well, once something is gone that I've labored over, I'm not really good at doing it justice again. Generally speaking, I'm a one-shot writer.

But, in case you were wondering, the title refers to the shirt I put on that day. My Malawi mission trip shirt. I was thinking about my visit to the small African country that day, and realized it's been 5 years since I went. I left on Palm Sunday, 2004 and returned the Monday after Easter.

It seems like a dream.

I have some regrets from the trip - looking back I realize that I complained too much and didn't have an open mind/spirit. Overall, though, I can't imagine not going - if nothing else, it provided great cross-cultural lessons and a new appreciation for other people around the world. I learned that when you visit Christians in developing countries, you don't minister to them much beyond the stuff you bring them. They minister to you.

I left Malawi just filled with awe that God's love could do such amazing works! These Christians weren't negative, they didn't squabble, they didn't point fingers or nitpick or condescend. They embraced each other, and us, and they glorified God in their daily living. They didn't give their leftovers to Him, they gave their BEST. I will be excited to rejoin them in Heaven and to watch them receive their eternal crowns! For people who have so little here on earth, what a fabulous inheritance awaits them in Heaven!

Sometimes I wonder if Dan and I shouldn't just pack up and move to southern Africa. I guess I would learn how to survive - even thrive there - and maybe I, too, could learn the secret to being content in all things!

What a thought...

yum.

Okay, so I normally don't advocate this business or that, but I just have to get the word out that a Panera breakfast is part of a well-balanced day. Seriously, it's a 7 dollar splurge, but every now and then ...

This morning, I swung by for a bacon/egg/cheese sandwich on an asiago cheese bagel. Now, I've been doing McDonald's breakfast for years (not every day!!!) and my standard is #11. That is a bacon/egg/cheese bagel.

I am here to tell you that Panera does a much better job! Seriously, if you want to start the day with a smile, do your morning devotions and pop into Panera. Repeat: Bacon/egg/cheese on an asiago cheese bagel. Add a strawberry smoothie and you are COOKIN'!

I've been thinking a lot lately about food and what God intends it for. If you can get a (fairly) natural meal that tastes amazing - go for it!

Really, I think the more natural you go, the better things taste, because God gave us such a wide range of food options. I mean really - He came up with some pretty cool ideas. Which reminds me... I've always wondered about the first person who fried an egg. Think about it. What possessed that person to crack open something that dropped out of a chicken's back end and cook it for food?

Beats me. Happy digesting!

This Life Is Short.

I'm reminded of this daily, and especially in the past few weeks.

I attended the funeral of an elderly neighbor - she had battled cancer for 9 years, and only within the last few months had she given up her ambitious daily routine. She was a full-time farmer, mother, grandmother; she cooked and baked endlessly, she kept up her garden (aside from the farm acreage), and she made beautiful rugs on her loom. She was always laughing and had a welcoming spirit - there was always enough food for one more! Though she was old, and her body was more than exhausted, it was still a very bittersweet day. Just watching her grandchildren sobbing and sniffling was hard to take.

A few days later, I helped out with the funeral of a 90-year-old gentleman from our congregation - he and his wife had raised their 6 kids in our church, and 4 of them (and various members of their families) are still faithful there. That was a sad one, too. He had had a stroke a few weeks prior, and the family drew close together during that time. There were many tears for him at his funeral. It is good and proper to mourn the loss of a life lived well.

This past weekend, I heard of a tragedy in Meyersdale involving 3 teenagers - apparently they were racing and lost control of their vehicle. 3 lives lost in a matter of moments. 3 lives barely begun - and now ended. I am daily reminded of the brevity, the fragile nature of life on earth. Some folks survive everything - I've met people with a list of daring close calls as long as my leg. Some folks live well, but one poor circumstance does them in. Doesn't make much logical sense to me.

But what do I know? Do I know God's plans? Sheesh, not hardly. I don't know why those boys died. I don't know why some live through depressions and wars and coal mines to be 90 with 5 generations, either. I just don't know.

At the second funeral I described, one of the great-grandchildren came to me and asked "Why is God doing this to us? Why is God torturing us?" As if I know why he had a stroke. All I could muster was "Well, I don't know why things are happening this way, but I know that God loves you and only lets hard times come for good reasons." He cocked his head and looked at me like I was nuts. "Well," I said, "it's in the hard times that we grow." He walked away, with a thoughtful, yet still perturbed look.

One thing that each of these people had in common (to my knowledge) is that they all had a relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to share a verse of Scripture with you:

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

--1 Corinthians 15:19

See, a lot of people like the idea of Jesus as their friend and counselor and their life-helper. And that's fine - He is that, indeed.

He is also the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! He is Alpha and Omega, the Lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace. And He reigns for all of eternity!

When you hope in Him, don't forget about the life beyond this one. Eternity never ends - when you draw in your final breath here, you will exhale in the next life.

Are you preparing for it? Are you hoping in it? I know the lady in the first story was. She had lived a hard-working, honest, faithful life on earth, and she was ready to go. She had her spiritual bags packed, and she was looking forward to meeting her God. I think she was excited about living forever without arthritis and cancer and ruined corn crops.

It's amazing how our life on earth changes when we live every day with an eternal perspective. Suddenly that unbearable neighbor is no more than a temporary irritant. Suddenly that busy job is just one more step toward heaven. Suddenly that thing of great importance has very little importance. When we set our priorities in line with eternal living, we find that our worries and must-haves and clutter diminish.

Youth need this message too. When you're a kid, each year, each month, each week, each day is an eternity in itself. "I'll never get to be 8!" "I'll never get to middle school!" When you're a teenager, time goes faster, but everything is a huge crisis. "I am getting a C on my report card - a C!!! What did I ever do to deserve a C?!" "This zit will never go away!" "I will never love anyone else again!"

But man, what if we could teach young people some kind of eternal view? That yes, they need to hope in the Lord now, for this life, but also for the next. We don't seem to even talk much about Heaven - I hear more Christians excitedly talking about upcoming vacations to various places than I hear them talking about going Heaven!

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

Indeed. If we have no hope of salvation, no hope of eternal life - then why bother? Do we just go to church and pray to get a good feeling? Or are we actively working and striving and looking toward a most excellent eternal reward?

Better figure it out for yourself, because we know that this life is short, and the next is eternally long!