One of the things I do to keep myself on spiritually firm ground is to read through the Bible. As I read, I make notes in the margins. I date readings, write my "aha" moments alongside important verses, and put my specific prayer requests right on the pages, next to the stories of Job, Abraham, Rahab, and Sarah. Some people keep a prayer journal. I have tried that, but I get too many things in too many places, and find it easier to keep all my "lists" right in the Word. It should be the cornerstone of the day, right?
Some people are good at keeping themselves on a reading schedule. I tend to ponder, go off on study adventures, and sometimes just don't finish. But I DO get through, and when I do, I begin again. When I start over, I choose another Bible (either one I have already, or a new one). Why? Because each Bible then becomes a monument for that year -- what I've asked God for, what He's done in response, what I have learned on this "Jesus journey."
This time through, I am using The Everyday Life Bible, with commentary by Joyce Meyer. I love Joyce Meyer. I love her strength, her personal story, her Southern accent, her larger than life presence, her no-nonsense approach to a Godly existence. I bet if she lived next door, she'd be the kind of friend that would tell me, "Baby, you look gorgeous, but please do get that spinach out of your teeth before you leave the house, hon."
Today, I was reading Genesis, and a side commentary by Joyce on the keys to living a fruitful life. She mentions two areas: balance, and pruning. So how does this fit in a blog on living a sustainable lifestyle? I think it is a perfect fit. I'll tell you why.
In order to have balance, Joyce says we need a mix of healthy food, rest, work (the Bible says if we don't work, we don't eat -- 2 Thess 3:10, Prov 20:13, Prov 20:4...), play, time alone with God, and time with positive relationships. While Adam sinned and was told that his work would be painful toil as a result, we have been freed of that sentence once and for all times by Jesus's sacrifice. So balance is achievable! It's all about making choices that are sustainable. We might be able to make a boatload of money by working 80 hours a week, but cannot maintain that as our health, family and spiritual life takes a major hit. Likewise, we can spend the entire winter skiing and enjoying recreation time with family and friends, until our bank account screams at us to be replenished. It's all about healthy balance.
She also talks about pruning. A vintner closely examines his vines, and removes wood that is diseased, not productive or situated in the shade where it cannot bear fruit. This causes a temporary shock to the grape vine, but leads to a rechanneling of energy and resources to the more productive parts of the plant, yielding greater productivity of the whole vine. What situations, activities, and relationships are in our lives that deplete us, bring the "disease" of negative energy into our lives, or keep us from begin all we can be? Sometimes we persist in doing things or associating with people in ways that we know exhaust us -- in this New Year, how can we refocus our energy on the things that build us up and invigorate us?
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My husband's family always had black-eyed peas on New Year's Day -- the tradition is supposed to usher in a prosperous New Year. Here is the recipe I prepared for my family on New Year's Day.
1 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T pickled hot peppers, minced
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and hot peppers; sautee until cooked but not browned.
Stir together black-eyed peas and onion mixture in saucepan. Add seasonings, tomato sauce and hot sauce; stir to blend well.
Reduce heat; simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors. Adjust seasoning as desired.
6 servings
* We like spicy foods. You can adjust the heat of this recipe by substituting 1/4 c. of chopped green bell pepper for the hot pickled peppers, and reducing the hot sauce.
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