This week’s newsletter is a guest post from my good friend, .

Wendy has just moved over to Substack and I thought that presented a wonderful opportunity to share her work with you. Wendy and I have been friends for a number of years now and I can only hope I have been half the encouragement she has been to me. You can find her work at 1

Finally, if you missed the latest instalment in the Jude Series, you can find that here:

Apparently they were running late. I sat in the waiting room staring at my shoes, wondering when was the last time I'd washed them. They are black fabric, which seems to do so well at picking up our pet hair I should probably consider using it to vacuum the floors. Satisfied that I'd already investigated every inch of my shoes and clothing, I shifted by gaze to the bookshelf in front of me. T-shirts with their logo, a sign offering said t-shirts for sale, and a plant sat on the shelves.

I don't know why, but my next thought was whether the plant was fake. It's inconsequential, really, but I was sitting there waiting for my name to be called and had left my phone in the car so I apparently had plenty of time to let my mind wander.

As I inspected more closely, I realized this plant was, indeed, real. It was so real, in fact, it was in danger of dying. The signs of life I'd noticed—dark, dry spots along the edges of many leaves—were also signs of a problems. And fake plants don't have any problems.

Hmmm, I thought, fake people don't seem to have anything wrong with them either. But that's the thing: you can't be a real person and not experience problems. I pondered that notion for a few minutes until it was finally my turn for physical therapy.

Then, I completely forgot about my encounter with the plant, until I had a certain conversation a few days later. I was helping a young woman with homework when she stopped and asked, "Why do you like church?"

Hmmm, I murmured. What a great question! She'd been staying with us for a few weeks and had only recently decided to join us for a Sunday service.

"Really, it's because I'm a mess," I laughed and continued, "I'm sure I screw up more times than I get it right on most days. Being part of a church community where we're authentic about our misses as much as our wins is such an encouragement! It helps me grow with Christ, especially when I'm tempted to give in or give up."

The way she stared at me so intently, I feared I'd said something to push her away. She simply turned back to her homework and worked silently for a few minutes.

I'd just gotten through another page of my own book when she blurted out what had been going through her mind, "I've never heard an adult admit to being wrong or even making mistakes."

I thought she was joking but she persisted, "No, really. I feel like adults always make it seem like they have it altogether and are perfect all the time."

Now it was my turn to laugh, incredulously. But seeing the look on her face, I realized she was completely serious. At 17, she'd seen more of life's hardships than I had in nearly half a century. And she'd encountered an awful lot of adults telling her what to do before earning that right.

Sharing about my weaknesses connected us in a way I hadn't anticipated. It made me more real, and showed her how we might be similar despite vastly different families and experiences. I hoped, in time, it might also demonstrate the value of strong, healthy Christian community.

Turning back to her homework, she spoke barely above a whisper, "Thank you."

Living Grace-filled in a SLATHY World

The personal writing of Wendy Willard

By Wendy Willard

I recall picking up a book of poetry once in my early teens and thinking to myself, “this is so short, I needn’t waste my money.” Since then I’ve found that the longer I’ve wrestled with poetry, the longer it takes to do so. In ’s latest article, you’re invited to wrestle with one of Donne’s poems yourself—whether it takes you five minutes or fifty, it will be a worthwhile exercise.

The Priory

John Donne: "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"

[Photo credit: https://www.drawingislamicgeometricdesigns.com/blog/a-compass-exercise-precision-revealed] In “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” we have a classic example of the metaphysical conceit. And somehow, as only Donne can do, he creates in this witty, ingenious, and intensely cerebral work one of the most romantic works of poetry this …

Read more

2 years ago · 30 likes · 19 comments · Karen Swallow Prior

recently released a excellent piece outlining how Tim Keller affected Benjamin and his ministry throughout his life. A crescendo of keyboards has risen up since Keller’s passing, telling of Kellers influences and his own influence, but it always astounds me how personal and individual these experiences are. Check out Benjamin’s article here:

Click Here: The Reason I’m Most Thankful to Have Timothy Keller as One of My Spiritual Fathers

I met , today’s guest writer, in a small group along with . Since then we’ve met almost every month to discuss writing, life, and to pray for one another. In that time, I can truly say that it has been amazing to see both of these dear friends grow and be strengthened by God. You can check out Kelly’s latest article here:

I usually try and keep these to just three recommendations, but I was hugely encouraged by this recent sermon from Noel Jesse Heikkinen and I think you will be too. I’ve been listening to Noel’s sermons one and off for years now, and I’m always astounded at his courage, consistency, and his love for both the word of God and the people of God. As Christians we’re called to be known for our love for one another, but that’s not always easy, and it isn’t always true. How do we confront that, and how do we do so lovingly?

You can watch Noel’s sermon here, or by clicking on the image below:

A friend of mine has recently started a newsletter called “Springs of Joy” that I think you’ll love. So here’s a bonus article from her for you to peruse this week. She will be releasing monthly and you can subscribe right here:

Honey

As the western world has become more conscious about healthy lifestyles, there’s been a movement to replace refined sugar with natural sugars. Though not a calorie cutter, honey does provide more nutritional value than white sugar. As a hobby baker, my favourite application of sugar replacement is substituting honey for white sugar. It’s a simple 1:1 ratio, and it still tastes delightfully sweet.

Psalm 19:7-11 describes God’s law, or his word, as “sweeter than the drippings of honeycomb.” And this description is echoed in Psalm 119, a psalm written all about God’s Word. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

I don’t know about you, but I feel some cognitive dissonance when I compare rules to something as delicious as honey. Can God’s law really be sweeter than honeycomb? 

As I pondered this, I landed on a few things we need to understand in order to truly echo the psalter. We need to know who God is, what is the intent of his law, and why honey? Nothing is an accident with God, so we know that the descriptor of sweetness like honey is intentional. 

But first: Context (always!). Psalm 19 was written by David. In the first half of Psalm 19, David beautifully describes the revelation of God through creation. In the second half of the psalm, David turns to the special revelation of God’s law. In his special revelation of himself, we learn about God’s character and who he is. David proclaims that God’s law revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, is righteous, endures forever, is a safeguard, is more desirable than gold, and is sweeter even than honeycomb. David failed miserably at keeping God’s law, yet he is confident in all these claims about God’s word. 

Psalm 119 is written solely about God’s law and how wonderful it is. While these psalms were focused on God’s Law being the Torah (first five books of the OT), we can extend the term to include the whole counsel of Scripture (Luke 24:44).  

So, who is this God that handed down the Law? God is the perfect, eternal creator of everything. He prepared the most beautiful garden for people to live in because he wanted to live in community with the most special objects of his creation. But the first humans chose to disobey God and with that choice, all were condemned to death and separation from God. Yet he promised to save us, restore the world, and make all things new (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 21:5). God desired to do whatever it took to bring His chosen people Israel and all nations back to him before we even desired reconciliation (Rom. 5:6-11). 

Who God is informs the intent of his law. Paul says in Romans 7:11, “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” God gave us the law to help us live holy lives, acceptable and pleasing to Him because He wants us with Him. Yet, we could not keep the law, and instead, it convicted us of our sin. But God didn’t leave us alone with a law we couldn’t fulfil.  

The story gets so good here. We couldn’t keep the law, so God rescued us by sending Jesus, his only son, to perfectly fulfil the law for us and make a way for us to live forever in heaven (Matt. 5:17; John 1:1-5). The law was and is a good thing because it paved the way for Christ to come and save us from our sins.  

We begin to see the richness and sweetness of God’s law as it resulted in Christ fulfilling it for us. 

But why honey? You know, I can use honey to make my young children eat almost anything. I can put it in plain yoghurt, in oatmeal, on fruit, and more. And they’ll gobble it right up. They even asked me to put it on their eggs one time (gross, but it works). Honey is enticing, and it is a real problem-solver. 

When we look at ways “honey” is used in the Bible, one frequent experience comes to mind. When the Israelites were in captivity in Egypt, God promised to rescue them and take them to a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8). Repeatedly, God describes the fulfilment of his promise to include a flourishing land, where honey is plentiful. 

What was so wonderful about a land filled with honey? Perhaps because if the land was flowing with milk and honey, it also would have been abundant with animals that produced the milk and plants and bees that produce the honey. In this promise, we see a glimpse of the Garden, of the world in its original state. Flourishing, thriving, producing. We see the kindness of God in wanting his people to experience as much of the Garden experience as they could in a world tainted by sin. 

Another way we see honey used is in the description of “manna,” the sustenance God provided for Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (Ex. 16:31). It doesn’t seem like an accident that the food he provided them with had a taste of what was to come in the promised land. This pleasing, fulfilling, and sustaining bread from heaven, a foreshadowing of the Promised Land, was also a foreshadowing of Christ—the true Bread of Life. 

In Ezekiel, the prophet is told in a vision to eat a scroll—a word from God. And his description of it is “sweet as honey,” (Eze. 3:3). In Revelation John was commanded to eat a scroll and though it made his stomach bitter, it tasted sweet (Rev. 10:9-10).

Perhaps honey is a marker of God’s fulfilment of his promises, a symbol of his good word. Honey in Scripture contains a story. It’s a story of a God who promised good things to his people. And when they repeatedly failed, he still sustained them. 

In his word, God promised a rescuer, a Messiah, eternal life, and all of that was fulfilled in Jesus. We can trust the words in God’s Word, after all, Jesus Himself is the Word (John 1:1). 

So why is God’s word sweet to the taste, sweeter even than honey? Because God is trustworthy to follow through on his promises, and he promises that in striving to keep his word, we will be recipients of only good things. In his word we are refreshed, restored, rejuvenated, and refined. So receiving direction from God in his word is sweet. We will continue to fail often at keeping his word, but we will also continue to grow in sanctification as we keep trying and trusting. Because he only wants good things for us, we can trust that it’s good and sweet to obey his word. Other pursuits may entice, but they will always prove to be sour and bitter. 

One of my favourite hymns says this: 

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word;

Just to rest upon His promise;

Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.

Do you know why it’s so sweet to obey God’s law? It’s because the law is God’s word, which is fulfilled by Jesus Christ—the only one who sacrificed himself to save us from our sin. Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s word, while living a human life on earth. And he obeyed it with joy, because of who the Father is. God’s law is a promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God’s word is good and perfect and sweeter than honey. Taste it today and see for yourself. 

Adsum: Here is the Hymn:

_______

Postscript from Kelly:

Here is one of my favorite recipes that uses honey instead of processed sugar. 

https://gimmedelicious.com/healthy-moist-banana-bread/

You can subscribe below!