Why, Hello There!

    Something about brewing a 'cuppa' tea is undeniably special. The careful selection of a tea blend/favorite mug combo, the first sip in the early morning that touches your soul, and the resulting energy to tackle the day can be pure magic. I actually have a cup by me as I write. Granted, it's already empty. I'm a pretty quick cuppa drinker. 

    My hope is that this blog might be a little like your favorite cup of tea: short, sweet, carefully curated, rich in flavor, and an energizing call to this great pursuit we call Living. What do I mean by "Living?" 

    For the Christian, life takes on an entirely different meaning. Suddenly what you do each minute has depth. We're called to:

• Offer our bodies as a "living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (see Romans 12:1 ESV)  

• Live intentionally with eternity in view, to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (see Philippians 3:14 ESV)

• Vigilantly seek to know Christ more, and to test all teaching against the scripture like the Bereans in Acts 17:11: "... They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." And,

• To face life in a fallen world with a rooted joy, knowing that each hardship gains us more and more of Christ; more and more Life. (see James 1:2-3)

There is so much more to living as a believer, but these are some of 'the big ones.' Two that I did not mention have been weighing heavily on my heart. 

    As Christians, we're commanded to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matt. 28:19-20a) We are also commanded to "... consider how to stir one another up to good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."(see Hebrews 10:24-25) In my current situation sans the internet, I don't have much of an opportunity to do either of those things. Today, the next best option to in-person interactions seems to be taking to social media.

    I don't know about you, but I think that social media has proved to be the antithesis to any sincere sentiment or message. You could have something you desperately want to convey to the people in your influence, but as soon as you hit 'post,' it's as if the meaning of your words is completely emasculated. Not only that, your tenderly composed message is replaced with a paragraph rife with seeming pretension, greed for those oh-so-precious likes, and impregnated with a combative tone you never meant to deliver. I've wrestled for months with this gripping desire to both reach out to my believing brothers and sisters, and to my unbelieving friends with one thing: the Gospel. Just the Gospel. And an Instagram story simply  does not cut it. 

My deepest hope for this blog venture is to direct all eyes to behold Christ: Him crucified, Him risen, and Him returning. I want to communicate just 'how sweet it is to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word.' I want to posit exactly how Jesus has and should have a role in everything we do. I want to show without apology how amazing His grace really is. And I want to bring Him into every facet of my life: food, entertainment, art, music, books, politics, work, homemaking, animals, and of course, writing this blog. ;) 

So, will you join me for a cup of tea? Grab your favorite mug, browse my growing collection of "blends" to put in said mug, bring the comment cookies to complete the tea time spread, and settle into your chair.  We're going to be here a deliciously long time.