Keep making cakes

Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.

--Luke 6:38 

(The Message)

This past Sunday, at church, the pastor talked about the story of Elijah and the widow at Zarephath. Now, I had never heard this story, but here is the gist....there is a famine in the land and Elijah is commanded by the Lord to go to Zarephath and he would be taken care of by the widow.  So when Elijah gets there, he finds this woman and asks for some water...and then some bread.  Well the woman is very poor and hello there is a famine in the land...she brings him water but tells him she only has a little bit of flour and oil and that she was gathering sticks to make bread at her house and after that she and her son were going to die.  So Elijah says that alright well go home and make me a small cake and THEN have some for yourself and your son.  (a lot of guts right?!)  He says this, "for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "   and so it ends up that she follows Elijah's instructions and never runs out of flour or oil.  

So at this point in the sermon, I'm like okay good sermon.  Have faith and it will happen.  Well I was wrong.  The sermon was about generosity.  I have to say that I was a little bit surprised.  I don't really know why, but I was.  He talked about what would have happened if the widow would not have made Elijah the cake.....she would have died.  I never think about the "what would have happeneds in the Bible".  But the woman would have died....if she didn't have the faith or feel the generosity towards Elijah then she would have DIED!  The pastor also talked about how God has a "self-donating" life.  He gives everyday and according to St. Thomas Aquinas, what the Father does everyday is "he enjoys himself" because he is giving of himself.  The line that stuck out to me in the sermon was, 

Refusing to give ourselves away will kill us and possibly the closest people to us

The pastor then went on to talk about the 3 types of people.  The first type of person is the person who is generous and gives of themselves freely.  These people have learned to TRUST.  The second group of people are the people who are withholding.  They don't trust.  He challenged these people to in Group 1, Keep making cakes and Group 2....start making cakes.  And then he went on to talk about Group 3.  Group 3 are the people who do TRUST, but don't get anything in return.  These people are pouring their lives into something...and  have gotten squat in return...are getting ground into the dirt.  He challenged these people, if they can, to Keep Making Cake.  

This got me thinking.  How many times do I quit making cake?  Do I give up too soon?  Do I make enough cake?  How can I make more cake?  There are many areas in my life, friendships, family and my job, that I gave up on too soon.  So now, my job is too go back and try to make some more cake.  

So I am going to keep making cake....

Psalm 23

I started this blog in December with hopes of writing once or twice a week...well apparently that did not happen.  Later on I will explain to you about my job, but for right now, this is on my heart. 

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

 He makes me lie down in green pastures, 
       he leads me beside quiet waters,

 he restores my soul. 
       He guides me in paths of righteousness 
       for his name's sake.

 Even though I walk 
       through the valley of the shadow of death,  
       I will fear no evil, 
       for you are with me; 
       your rod and your staff, 
       they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me 
       in the presence of my enemies. 
       You anoint my head with oil; 
       my cup overflows.

 Surely goodness and love will follow me 
       all the days of my life, 
       and I will dwell in the house of the LORD 
       forever.

This was the topic of scripture for tonight.  I have to say, whenever I think of Psalm 23, I have a hard time identifying with it, but tonight it just kind of struck a nerve with me.  Tonight at church, the pastor told the top 10 facts about sheep and also the top 10 facts about shepherds.  For example sheep can hear very well....they can hear and follow the shepherds voice.  Also, sheep have no depth perception which I thought very interesting, but I will tell you about that a little bit later.  

I thought it was very interesting how much I never knew about sheep...I'm sure at one point in elementary school, I learned about sheep.  I wonder if in those (Bible) days they knew about sheep like that?!  I know that this is similar to our lives with Christ and how he helps us through hard times and all, but I think that it also speaks to us in good times!  Also, it speaks to us, if you are looking at the facts about sheep, for when we have "gotten off the path".  The "fact" that really stuck out to me was how sheep have no depth perception.  This really got to me because it is kind of like us because we cannot see the full plan of God, but we can only see what is happening to us now in the here and now, similar to sheep and their depth perception and they can't see even 2 feet in front of them.  I also thought that it was interesting how sheep can hear the voice of the shepherd distinctively.  I struggle with the fact of hearing God's voice.  I don't know that I can hear it distinctively, but when he speaks to my heart I know for sure it is Him.  

I'm sure that this does not make complete sense, but it what was on my heart and thought I would share my thoughts!