Whatever Happend to “Strong is the New Skinny”? (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Back in 2013, I stumbled onto a Facebook page using the tag line, “Strong is the New Skinny.” After a quick read, I came to a couple conclusions: (1) It was a page intended for women, and (2) it contained some of the best body advice/guidance I had come across.

And then I saw the link to her blog.*

Despite being aimed mostly at women, I found I could relate to a lot of of her philosophy. The messages included a lot of straight talk about body image, encouragement, positive self-worth, and finishing (not "finishing first," but rather "finishing what you start"). To me, it could be summed up like this: if you have the choice, strong is better than weak, and it is worth your time and energy to pursue strength.

At the time, I was exercising two/three nights a week at an LA Fitness. So, fitness was top of mind for me. I was intrigued. I kept reading. Soon, I realized I was captivated by her positive approach, so captivated I even incorporated it into a Lectionary reflection (“Strong is the New Spiritual” January 2013).

And that brings me to this week's Lectionary selection from Nehemiah. In 2013, I noted the passage dealt with a group of 40,000 people who had recently returned after being exiled from Israel; many of whom had not been exposed to the scriptures while in exile. They had assembled in the ruins of Jerusalem —the walls had been restored, but no houses had yet been built— to (finally) hear the word of God. Their reaction when those were read to them?

They wept.

It’s understandable. Suddenly confronted with just how far their lives had drifted from what scripture required of them —and thinking, perhaps, that it was too late for reconciliation— weeping and mourning seemed entirely appropriate. And you might think this was the response sought by Ezra the Priest and the religious leaders ... but, no.

As we know from Ecclesiastes 3:4, there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Any trainer can tell you, it's not enough to just stop doing something that you should stop doing. You need to start doing something else, replace the negative with a positive. And that is what their leaders did; they told the people to replace their sadness with joy; that it was not the time to weep and mourn. Instead, they encouraged the people to, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

I don’t know whatever happened to “Strong is the New Skinny.” All I can find, now, is the same blog entries I read six years ago. The Facebook page has some content from 2016. A web search for that phrase yielded so many answers, it really was “like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” Maybe she moved to a different platform or to a new blog provider. Maybe she no longer wanted to share her thoughts with the wider world.

Maybe I’ll never know.

What I do know is this: regardless of our circumstances, we must be strong in The Lord. Despite what may be many reasons to mourn and weep, we must find a way to embrace the joy God intends for us. For the joy of The Lord is our strength.

And if that is the definition of strength, then strong really is the new spiritual.

_________________________
*Link to her website: (http://strongisnewskinny.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-strong-will-and-faith-to-match.html?m=1).
_________________________
PHOTO: Steve Orr
_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Third Sunday after the Epiphany (January 27, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21
_________________________

We're still having fun at "THE EGG AND I" restaurant. Join us at 8:00 Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary breakfast! The restaurant is located in a shopping center at the corner of New Road and Franklin (just behind Outback). We usually meet in the function room. Ask if you don’t find us.

The heaviest thing you'll have to lift is your fork. And no push-ups required.

Enjoy!
Steve

Revisiting “My Chemical Romance” (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

When I was a boy of ten or so, I wanted a chemistry set. And, after much lobbying of my parents, I was given it; maybe for Christmas. I recall being very excited ... for about an hour.

It took me that long to conclude it wasn't what I thought it would be. To use it required an understanding of the scientific method, knowledge of how to conduct an experiment, and the ability to read and follow directions. None of which I possessed in sufficient quantity.

The main source of my disappointment, however, was one of expectation. What I expected was to be able to transform things, to turn one thing into another thing. I quickly learned that was not going to occur. And, as any real scientist will tell you, you must commit to a long term relationship with science if you want to get anywhere with it.

My chemical romance, it turned out, was nothing more than puppy love.

These memories came back to me as I read this week's Lectionary selection from the gospel of John: when Jesus attended a wedding at Cana. There's been a lot written about this event, with the most being about whether Jesus turned the water into alcoholic wine or not.

I was a bit surprised to discover just how strongly and deeply held are the positions people have taken. The Internet is packed with well-reasoned articles and papers arguing that scripture supports the water-cum-wine was not alcoholic ... or was. Only rarely did I come across anyone concluding, "we just cannot know." I went searching for enlightenment and found a hornet's nest, instead.

After reading several of these, I concluded that, like me and my chemistry set, many have missed the point.

And here it is: Jesus took one thing, and without so much as a gesture, transformed it into something else.

Stop for a minute, here, and let that really sink in

Almost everyone seems to want to argue over whether the water was turned into alcoholic wine or not. And while that may well be an important debate in another context, it obscures what is most important about this passage. The wedding steward doesn't say it is "a" good wine, but that it is "the" good wine; that the no-longer-water is not just good, but the very essence of good. Like every transformation accomplished by Jesus, it was something new ... the best.

There, in one seemingly small miracle, Jesus encapsulated his entire reason for being on Earth. He came to make us new creations. Not better human beings, not the best versions of ourselves, not ideals ... new... creations

_________________________

A different version of this reflection appeared in January 2016 as My Chemical Romance.

_________________________
PHOTO: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands by Steve Orr (Yes, I know it has nothing to do I with the reflection. I just like it.)
_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
January 20, 2019 - Second Sunday after Epiphany https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=108

Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
_________________________

Join us Friday morning if you're in the Waco area. We meet at 8:00 at the "Egg and I" restaurant for about an hour. Good food, good folk, and a feast for the soul.

It's transformative.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Snorkeling Off Bonaire (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

The brochure promised a wonderful experience while snorkeling above a reef off the coast of Bonaire.

We traveled to Bonaire’s National Marine Park via the Aquaspace, “a unique, semi-submarine sailing trimaran.” Along the way, as we plied the pristine blue waters of the Southern Caribbean, we learned the Aquaspace was used by Jacques Cousteau to research underwater marine life.

There were just eight of us, plus a crew of two, on deck for the passage to the Park. People always say things like, “The water was such an amazing color of blue!” I wish I could be more original, but there just doesn't seem to be any other way to express it. There are not enough of the right words to truly describe it ... so beautiful.

In time, we arrived at a position between the islands of Bonaire and “Little Bonaire,” but closer to the latter. Once the crew dropped anchor, we were encouraged to “share the spirit of Cousteau” and observe the marine life in the glass gondola of that special ship.

I was surprised to learn the gondola was two decks down, well below the waterline. Somehow, the phrase “semi-submarine,” had slipped past me. It was my first moment of uneasiness. I suffer from “intermittent claustrophobia;” which is just a nice way of saying I never know when I’m going to be freaked out by too small a space or two large a crowd.

I carefully navigated the narrow steps down into an ever-darkening interior. When I reached the bottom, I was prepared to perform some deep breathing exercises to calm myself. I forced myself to look up ... and was entranced.

On either side, through the thick glass walls, was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. No matter where I looked, the reefs filled the view. They were absolutely alive with sea life; fish swimming all about, plants waving in the currents, coral formations of every color anchoring the scene.

I have no idea how long we all sat there, perched on little stools, faces just inches from the glass, taking in the treasures of that undersea world. I completely forgot my trepidation. There could be no fear in the presence of such majesty.

Afterward, I climbed back up to the deck having completely forgotten my earlier unease. That’s when the Captain said, “Okay, now we snorkel.” And I was ready.

Or, so I thought.

I placed the goggles over my eyes, seated the breathing tube into my mouth, stepped off the ladder at the back of the boat, and slid down into the water.

Panic overwhelmed me.

I could feel the water surrounding me, pressing on me. I felt I was drowning. I grabbed for the ladder, jerked my head back up into the air, and spit out the mouthpiece. Peace fled from me.

There had been caveats in that brochure. We had been warned that this excursion was not advisable for folks with mobility limitations or for those with a history of neck or back pain. There was nothing, though, about Claustrophobia.

Being in the water was completely different than watching it through thick walls of glass ... something I may already have known, intellectually, but which was now made real to me in a new and shocking way.

This week’s Psalm assures us God is the Lord over the waters, over the mighty waters. In the Isaiah passage, God comforts the people by declaring, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.”

Like my time in the glass gondola of the Aquaspace, our experiences can sometimes distract us, mislead us. When we base our confidence on anything other than the Lord, we can be lulled into a false peace. And like my time in actual water, our real life can be overwhelming.

We all need God with us when we’re in deep.


_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
January 13, 2019 - Baptism of the Lord
First Sunday after Epiphany
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=107

Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
_________________________

Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. This hour of Bible, discussion, prayer, and, yes, laughter, starts at 8:00. If you don’t see us, ask.

Blessings,
Steve

Pennies From Heaven? (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Were you a fan of Sixpence None The Richer? They were a great ‘90s band, and they gave us some great music. If you enjoyed the loopy romance of “Kiss Me” or felt the deep emotion of “Breathe Your Name,” then you might be a fan. And let’s not discount their energetic covers of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “There She Goes.” They definitely stand out among the bands of that decade. And they are still on my active playlist.

But, what’s up with that name?

It’s not out of the ordinary for bands to have strange names ... or that seem strange to the uninitiated. But this one, though, is a bit strange even for a band: it’s based on a passage in Mere Christianity, a book by christian apologist C.S. Lewis.

In it, Lewis tells of a situation which most parents will recognize. A child asks his father for sixpence (six pennies). The child explains he intends to use the small sum to purchase a gift ... for the father.

We’ve done something similar: taken the grandkids shopping with their parents’ money ... so they could buy gifts for their parents. We do it because we know the kids don’t have the resources to afford the gifts.

So why do it that way?

Lewis explains that while the father agrees, and gladly accepts the gift, he is certainly not “sixpence to the good on the transaction.” He is, in effect “none the richer” for having agreed to it.

This is how Lewis saw our giving of gifts to God.

Which brings us to the Magi in this week’s scripture from the Gospel of Matthew. After some searching, a sojourn with Herod, and some star-tracking, the Magi eventually found Jesus in a house with his mother, Mary. They knelt down and “opening their treasure chests, they offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

The gifts of the Magi.

God declares through the prophet Haggai, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine.” If that’s true, then it’s no stretch to add frankincense and myrrh to the list. It’s been asked and it’s been debated, but I need to raise it, again: ... is it a real gift if we give to God what is already His? Or is it just another instance of sixpence none the richer?

I think at least part of the answer lies in the purpose of the gift.

The Magi were bringing gifts to a king. Their gifts reflected that thinking. Plus, the gold and the frankincense were reflections of the prophecy in this week’s Isaiah passage. These folk had made an effort to ensure their gifts were appropriate. They weren’t thinking about who, ultimately, owned those resources.

For us, it may be just as simple.

The joy and delight on their parents’ faces provides all the reason we need to have our grandkids choose gifts for their parents. There’s something wonderful in just enjoying a gift selected for you by your children. None of us gives much thought to whose money was used to purchase them.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us we are to give. There is no “sixpence none the richer” criticism. He says nothing about the fact that He already owns everything. And, if we give to the needy, we are, by His own words, giving to Him.

We become the Magi.

_________________________
Pennies from Heaven image: https://www.etsy.com/listing/183387508/pennies-from-heaven-keychain-hand

_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Epiphany Sunday (January 6, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=106

Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12

_________________________
Chart of readings for Epiphany through Transfiguration Sunday (1/6 through 3/3/2019): https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//lections.php?year=C&season=Epiphany
_________________________

Join DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast group Friday morning at 8:00 at the Egg and I. An hour of Bible, discussion, laughter, prayer, and food is a great way to start the year!

Blessings,
Steve