Giving to Caesar

I'm glad that understanding and filing your taxes perfectly is not a condition to get to heaven or we should be in desperate straits! I did them as accurately and thoughtfully as I could. But the instructions had me rather bewildered and bewuthered last night.

I do not believe that, by necessity, any amount of taxes the government decides to make up is right. Authorities can overstep their God-given boundaries! When they do, it is the duty of good citizens to speak up. But I think a look at history calls us to wisdom in how we do so. Remember the caution of our Nation's founders. They took every possible pain to get justice without bloodshed. I pray our tax system can be reformed, but it will never happen in the angry way of the French Revolutionists.

And Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were amazed at Him. Mark 12:17

They were amazed because Jesus not only answered the question, but went after their hearts of hypocrisy. Taxes are important in that we are to obey the authorities God has placed over us, but of greater importance is our duty to the Highest Authority.

What is God's tax? All I have I owe to him, and yet His grace is a free gift! My place in heaven is secure forever because of Christ. Now, He invites me to give all I have to Him for my greater joy!

Today, am I giving God what is His?

Money and Thoughts From the Kitchen

Nope, I haven't started a entrepreneurial baking business. Though, I very much like that idea. One of these day I'd love to have a bakery and tea shop. Oh, with a vintage bookstore in the adjoining room, and a garden and chickens out back, and quaint little living quarters upstairs. With my own eccentric writing nook in a window overlooking mountains.

Yep, I'm rather an unrealistic romantic when I get started on my "One day"s. :-)

But at the moment I'm quite pleased with my current situation. What I meant by my title is that I've been sitting in our cluttered but pleasant kitchen, typing away for my new writing job.

For those who don't know, I recently accepted a part-time job writing for our church. At the moment, I'm helping turn a study on biblical relationships (which is currently in note-form, PowerPoint, and audio recordings) into a book. I confess the idea intimidated me at first, but really, all I'm doing is soaking up this great biblical teaching and helping get it into the clearest and easiest form to pass on to more people. How exciting is that?

A huge reason this job is a blessing is that I can do most of it at home! I've committed to working 10 hours a week, which doesn't sound like much. But it's more than I had thought! Of course I like writing, but I also find it easier to flutter around doing house jobs, making fresh bread, even doing dishes, than sitting myself down to write.

My piddling distractions are becoming painfully bothersome. I may have to fast from reading fictional and blogs, painful as it would be. Would I survive, do you think? ;)

In other news, we had a glorious weekend. I was able to meditate on the deep sorrow and endless joy of Christ's death and resurrection, and read a lot of John. We visited my dear "college family" on the farm Friday night, and Saturday morning went to mow my grandparents' loooong driveway. That night we drove back home, though we had to take shelter at a Sonic during a rain-and-hail storm. Sunday after church we had lunch with my other grandparents, and then a quiet evening in our own cozy house.

The kitchen is quiet now, and my espresso is beginning to wear off. Plenty to do tomorrow, as always! If I ever thought my life at home after college would be dull, how very wrong I was! How did the Proverbs 31 lady do it all?