emp-TEA-ing

but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7, ESV)

All of us have dregs in our cup of life. Such a cuppa is usually filled up with SELF and needs to be emptied. Otherwise complaint seems to permeate and spill over to others. 

Complaint, the antithesis of contentment, comes when the goal of self, in its many forms, is blocked. Self-gratification. Self-fulfillment. Self-aggrandizement. Self-advancement.

How does one go about emp-TEA-ing all this self-centeredness?

David McCullough Jr. said it well in You Are Not Special: (Parade, 5/4/14, p. 4)

...The great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself!

A re-brew is needed. Emp-TEA self. Re-Brew selflessness.

A BIG cuppa selflessness is good for all....because it spills over and blesses others in our path.

SABBATH SNAPSHOT : "personal partiali-TEA"

---Yes, I have read The Goldfinch. I read it last year before going to spend a weekend in Greenwood, Ms, birthplace of the author, Donna Tartt.

Yes, I know it won the Pulitzer Prize BUT as well-written as it was, I would not recommend it because much of it was too dark for me. The thread that ran through the book concerning the young boy's possession of Fabritius' painting of "The Goldfinch" was intriguing BUT the family DYSFUNCTION (in all caps) that Theo experienced (especially in Las Vegas with his dad and dad's girlfriend) was so raw that it jarred my sensibilities and overshadowed all the rest for me. Harshness and depravity. I'm not partial to those characteristics in my reading.
Emotional abandonment of children, in life or in literature, is not my cup of tea. 

Tartt's writing did hook me at first, i.e. Theo's description of the painting & it's reminder of  his mother.

It was a direct and matter-of-fact little creature, with nothing sentimental about it; and something about the neat, compact way it tucked down inside itself—its brightness, its alert watchful expression—made me think of pictures I’d seen of my mother when she was small: a dark-capped finch with steady eyes.

BTW, the painting itself was housed (on loan from Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague) at the Frick Collection, my favorite NYC museum, until January. I hate I missed it and Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring."
The museum I would recommend, but not the book. That's just my partiali-TEA to "gentle reads" and this was not a "gentle" book.

---Want a gentler read that deals with art---Try Harriet Scott Chessman's,  Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper. In story form, with chapters divided by the pictures for which Lydia posed, you will meet the contemporaries of her sister, the artist, Mary Cassatt, including Edgar Degas, "his eyes heavy lidded, like a lizard's in the sun." (p.52) It's a short easy read....

and includes a Cassatt painting of "The Cup of Tea." Lydia, her sister's model, is ailing & often wonders how her sister sees her beyond her malady. (Bright's disease)
Looking at herself in the painting, Lydia's thinks as she speaks to said girl, "Look at me." I long to say to her. "Tell me what you are thinking as you sip your cup of tea."

Maybe my partiali-TEA to tea and this American born grand dame of impressionism led me to this book, but the story held me there. A gentle read set in Paris in the late 1800s.  A story that resonated with the profoundly moving relationship of two sisters, told from the point of view of the non-famous one. Endearing, not sappy.

"Special-TEA"

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)

All of us have our specialty (or speciality as the Brits (Princes) who are in Memphis for a weekend wedding would say). Those distinctive qualities are what make us unique. Art, music, even culinary expertise or physical prowess can set us apart from others, especially for those who fine tune these God-given traits.
In the spiritual realm, such aptitude takes on the term giftedness as the  characteristic is used to bless others.
A gift given by God, "fanned into flame" and passed on to others, often in the form of encouragement.
A God-given talent---a "special-TEA" to be served to others.

Not a recipient of the creative gift of "voice," I stand in awe of those who are---and even more so when they use this gift to serve the Lord. Such are the Phoenix ladies, mother Sally and daughter Michèle. who not only are blessed with this gift but share it with others. They minister around the world in any way needed---music, theater, culinary, MKs, writing, divorcee's, widows, other singles & ME!!

My only specialty, not exactly spiritual, but used to bless those who are, is to sniff out unusual "southern" food places and introduce their speciali-TEAS to others, who are not native to the region.

 Deep Fried Brownie Sundae at Puckett's Grocery
Blue Ribbon winner at the Southern Fried Festival
Yes, that's bacon on top.

Special-TEAS---we all have our own cuppa to pour out into the lives of others, especially those who are of the household of faith!

"curiosi-TEA"

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (Ephesians 1:17, NIV)

"Curiouser and curiouser !" remarked Alice, as she saw how small her feet looked through the "end" of the telescope. Saying "Good-By" to her feet, she begins a management plan to keep in touch with her feet. (Alice in Wonderland, chapter 2)

"Good-by, tea cup." Aren't you curious as to how I "shot" this photo?

To all but curmudgeons, curiosity in a child is endearing. A part of childhood and learning. A positive.

Not so much with old folks. With them, curiosity has the negative connotation of being nosey. But....if curiosity is the beginning of leading an adult to a personal management plan for finding the Lord, then that is a positive. Seeking Jesus, from a deep curiosity, to know Him better, that too is positive!
To that end, we should all seek to keep in touch with the Lord---to know Him in a deeper way. To be curiouser and curiouser about His life (and death) and what it means to each of us. That's curiosity at its finest.

In a "Rabbit Hole" as visited by Alice, nothing is quite what it seems. That sounds a bit like life in many ways. The only true constancy of truth that one has is in a growing relationship with the Lord.

So here's to "curiousi-TEA"----serve me a BIG cuppa that I might "seek and find out" more about Him as I study His word and embrace it in my life.

"Creativi-TEA"

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Luke 12:27, NIV)

Today is May 1. 

Growing up in Kentucky, the first week of May had most folks looking forward to Derby parties because those thoroughbreds ran at Churchill Downs (and still do run) that first weekend. I, on the other hand, was looking "under" the leaves of my Mayapple plants to see if those little white flowers were there yet. 

Along with a few Jack-in-the Pulpit, Dutchman's breeches, red columbine, trillium and a Johnny Jump-up, I had scads of mayapple. All my wildflowers grew among the roots of the big tree in our back yard, that bordered the Madduxes' side, at 2211 South Virginia Street 

At age 10, I had a wildflower garden and I loved it. I guess that's why, to this day, I can remember those strange names ---nothing botanically correct, just what Mother and Mama Davenport called them. 

Those memories always seem to come flooding back this time of year......tho I have to travel to the Dixon Gardens to "look" for my little white flowers under those umbrella plants---and later the little green apples tucked in under those leaves. There's nothing like a garden to allow one to marvel at the handiwork of a creative God. 

Nowadays, I realize that the "mul-TEA-plying" of my "scads" of mayapples was His doing. A creative "doing" that allowed underground runners to produce plants for a very young gardener's joy----His creativi-TEA, not my horticulture prowess. 

"God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:12) and I did too!!!

"Tea-dium"

In the morning, O Lord, you will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (Psalm 5:3, NASB)

In response to a recent question, "Are you always drinking tea?" (Possible underlying question, doesn't it get a little monotonous to "sip" something without much "kick" to it?) 

Do you change flavors with the seasons? (Possible underlying question, doesn't it lose it's appeal after awhile?) For answers, see below......

Most every day, I drink a morning cuppa or two, usually a good black tea. Assam loose leaf comes to mind. (Sameness and routine are okay with me.)

As the Mad Hatter says to Alice, in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, "It's always tea time." (chapter 7) 

For the March Hare and the Hatter it was always 6 o’clock and they were always drinking tea---certainly no TEA-dium at their tea party. 

Possibly, I enjoy my morning cuppa, even if it's not at 6:00, because I see it as my time with the Lord---"Tea with Thee."

My morning, or sometimes afternoon, “tea party” only has one invited guest.....who always shows up. It's the time when I can lay out all the pieces of my life before Him. The good. The bad. The ugly. Often, the same-o-same-o.

How grateful I am that He doesn't see this same-0, same-o time with me as "TEA-dium," regardless of the time of day.

Certainly for me, it's NOT a tedious time, but a glorious time.

"frui-TEA" cuppa choice

Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. (Galatians 6:4, CEV) 

"Commit to be Fit"---was my month pledge to exercise classes at GAC, a health club. 
I've been very diligent-----because there's a prize that will benefit my grands. 
Others are doing it better than I, without regard to the prize. They actually go beyond the facility with their "Bit- Fit" that continues to monitor their fitness level. But God....says "Don't Compare."

In my daily life maybe I need an exercise that will please Him. A spiritual "Boot Fruit" to give me a kickstart and a monitor that would include a read out of verses to keep me motivated. Motivated to: Love God; love others; serve God; serve others. All fruit bearing exercises!

Reminders that apart from Him I can bear no fruit, (John 15:5) fruit bearing is in His time, (Psalm 1: 3) a good tree bears good fruit.., (Matthew 12:33) what "good" fruit looks like, (Galatians 5:22) love is the fruit that sets Christ's disciples apart. (John 13:35)
"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:8)
Is a fruitful life necessary for bearing the right testimony to others? The oh so quotable John Bunyan says it well.

So......with my morning cuppa "frui-TEA," I had a choice to make, fruitless or fruitful. The criticisms of those who don't understand the "shape" of my ministry don't count. Only God's approval matters. A raised fruitful cup of praises to the One whom I represent. 

"liber-TEA" is a cuppa relief

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14, NIV)

One can not wait until the one who offended him asks for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a heart issue. An unforgiving heart remains in bondage to the offense.

One needs to forgive for his own sake. May each one, struggling in this area, begin with remembering that the basis for one's own forgiveness was established 2000+ years ago.

Forgiving isn't about the other guy. Typically, they don't "get" the depth of the offense or realize the damage it has done to the relationship. Sometimes, said offender doesn't care whether you forgive him or not. 

Therefore, the offended one must forgive for his own sake. Carrying such anger can eat away at his insides, and steal his inner peace. 

Christians forgive because it's spiritually healthy and because "God says so." There are no exceptions. When the infraction has caused a chasm in a relationship, one must still forgive. Nothing imprisons quite like a grudge. When one has stolen the innocence of life and hope as you once knew it, remember to forgive the thief, not the theft.

Forgiveness has the benefit of personal freedom.

A cuppa liber-TEA is warm and soothing, washing relief over one's insides----yet, invigorating life at the same time. 

SABBATH SNAPSHOT : peculiari-TEA"

Folks who know me, know I have a peculiar way of reading---especially a work of non-fiction. If I'm using a book in preparation for a literature-type workshop or a Bible Study lecture, I begin with skimming and scanning. That method, coupled with a Table of Contents or a good index can get me to what I need quickly. The downside---missing out on "goodies" that aren't on my "need-based" reading. If I'm reading a work of an author who is grounded in God's word, writes well & often infuses her writing with personal reflections, I end up reading beyond my need......and that can be entertaining.

I might have missed Lysa TeKeurst's  Made to Crave-satisfying your deepest desire with God not food, account of taking out her pony tail holder on "weigh day"& saying, "hey it's gotta weigh something." Or "Two and a half cinnamon rolls later, I decided tomorrow will be ... better day.....to eat healthier." (p. 27) Wow, can I relate to that struggle. I still remember her "tankles" story. (p. 78)
Relating to the reflective aspects of an author's life in a work of non-fiction, are a plus for me. I prefer "realness" to dryness. 
TerKeurst is NOT dry. Just reading her "Contents" will draw one in. I went first to "The Curse of the Skinny Jeans chapter. I skipped around to a few more chapters with notebook in hand and then realized that this was a come back to "cover to cover read---without my notebook.....but maybe a few © Post-It bookmarks.
Personal and practical while interspersed with God's truth. A good combo.

As I often do, if I find an author whose work seems to "speak to me," I check out his/her works. That's how I found TerKeurst's Radically Obedient, Radically Blessed. This small practical book had just the chapter I needed on "Hearing God's Voice" that offered 5 questions" I could offer to some gals who continue to need answers to hearing God's voice. 

But a further perusal led me to Chapter 5, a chapter "just for me." Dealing with "Foes of Grace (naysayers) "The Great Dance" and Choosing to Worry or Worship" those sections spoke to my heart. That's "my" chapter but I'm sure there is a unique one for each reader.....or, I can share mine, if your need-based reading peculiari-TEA is to discover what keeps you from radical obedience.

"Sinceri-TEA"

Above all, brothers, do not swear oaths by heaven, by earth, or by any other object. Instead, let your "Yes" mean yes and your "No" mean no! Otherwise, you may fall under condemnation. (James 5:12, NIV)

Sinceri-TEA is a special tea blend that most of us desire not only in our own lives but in the lives of others as well. Naturally, a little hones-TEA and dependabili-TEA are blended in this cuppa. Probably sweetened with a heaping spoon of trust too.

For the Christian that should be A man can be taken at his word. Daddy said that years ago that's all it took----your word. As Horton the Who said, I "meant what I said and I said what I meant...."
Do I? Do you? Or are we saying just what we think others want to hear? If so, our words of sinceri-TEA have just sloshed in the saucer and are getting stale and cold. Not very palatable.

Truth be told: Extra sloshed tea added for effect.

Sinceri-TEA, a cuppa we all want in our relationships.