Shannon S. McKee

musings and moments

When Duty Becomes Delight: Lessons from Dessert

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I want you to take a sec and think about your most favorite dessert. I’m not talking about prepackaged cookies from the Keebler elves. I’m talking about real dessert. Maybe more like something from the Mockingbird Bakery in Kent.

You know how it is when you’re having a really good dessert, right?

You savor every bite. Let it dissolve on your tongue as you enjoy every bit of flavor. And, then when you’re on the last bite, you feel a mixture of sadness and delight. Sadness because the whole experience is about to be over. Delight because it was rich and delicious and everything you had hoped it would be. The indulgence makes your heart happy.

That’s how I feel about Tiramasu. And Baklava. And quality dark chocolate… with fresh strawberries. And Graeter’s Rasberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

And the Bible.

Whaaaaat?

You see, too often we think about the Bible like we think about brussel sprouts (you may insert some other hated vegetable if you’re a lover of these tiny cabbage-like greens; I don’t mean to offend). We know it’s good for us and that we should probably have our daily dose. The Bible IS that. It’s sustenance. But, it’s also delight. Sadly, the truth is that we don’t really savor it that way. We don’t anticipate it. Rather, like a picky child at the dinner table, we pinch our noses and choke it down until the next day when we’ll have to do it all again. Usually accompanied by a heavy side of guilt.

I want you to know that it doesn’t have to be this way. It wasn’t for King David. For this warrior-poet, God’s Word was more like eating dessert. Here’s what he said about it in Psalm 19:

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

After reading David’s praise of God’s words, do you get the sense that he was choking them down out of duty? No way! For David, it was his delight to take them in and let them transform his life!

Why? Because they restore the soul, make wise the simple, rejoice the heart, and enlighten the eyes.

Sweet friends, stop making your Bible a symbol of guilt and obligation! It’s not. It was never meant to be. Is it good for us? Yes. Should we read it regularly and apply ourselves to studying it? Yes. Do we have to read it? Yes. Another place in scripture calls it our daily bread – so, yes, there is certainly a sense in which HAVE to have it. But, only if we want to LIVE!

What a shame that we have made it so much more like eating brussel sprouts and less like feasting on something rich and decadent.

Why do we DO that? Is it that we’ve allowed ourselves to become satisfied with a steady diet of prepackaged Keebler crap so we feel full? Is it that our tastebuds have become dull and we just don’t know good food anymore? Maybe we just don’t remember how great a good piece of Baklava can taste? Is it that we’ve busied ourselves with so much other stuff that we’re really not “alive.” Oh, we look like we’re alive. But we’re really parched and dry and malnourished because we’re wasting away inside. Is it because we don’t think the dessert will be yummy? Maybe we’ve been duped into thinking it will be gross and cardboardy.

Probably a little bit of all of the above.

Could we try feasting? Because I don’t want to have dull tastebuds or eat prepackaged cookies or settle for wasting away. Or miss the good stuff because I thought it was cardboard. None of those sound appealing. Maybe lets try David’s approach.

David says that God’s Word is sweeter than honey.

We don’t really appreciate this illustration because we have sugar. But only recently in man’s history (mid-19th century) did sugar become affordable to the average Westerner. Prior to then, it was a very expensive luxury. I know that’s hard to believe because now it’s in EVERYTHING we eat. But it was once highly valued. And honey even more so because it’s twice as sweet as sugar and has healing properties. It was often used as a form of currency or as a tribute or offering. It was something to be prized and savored.

For just a moment, I want you to imagine honey just dripping off the honeycomb. Fresh, pure honey. Imagine a kid, sitting in a meadow with it – taking a big, sloppy lick right off the honeycomb.

Now, I want you to go pick up your Bible. And ask God to help you feel the same way about it. Rehearse David’s Words. Shout them back to God with reckless abandon.

Oh God, YOUR law is perfect, converting my soul: YOUR testimony is sure, making wise the simple. YOUR statutes are right, rejoicing my heart: YOUR commandment is pure, enlightening my eyes. YOUR fear is clean, enduring for ever: YOUR judgments are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. If I keep them there is great reward.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve needed this reminder lately. COVID-19 really threw me off – I haven’t been very consistent in getting time with God in His Word. Every time I think about this, I feel guilty. Like I’m failing at my duties. I’m asking God to transform my perspective and draw me to His Words with joy. After all, His Words are a reflection of His heart and what is more beautiful and worthy than that?

Searching for New Normals During a Pandemic

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I’ve settled on my intention. I’m trying for some sense of normal. Get out of bed when the alarm goes off at its usual time. Find the scrunchie and pull the hair back. Slide on the slippers (the cute owl ones that I love). Stumble groggy up the dark hall. Light the candle on the dining room table. Start the soft piano music to fill the background. Unload the dishwasher. Change out the hand towel and the wash cloth. Hear the soft click of the gas lighting as I warm the kettle. Load the tea pot for me and the french press for him. Feed the dog. Check my weather app to see if I’ll be able to get a walk in.

Normal. That’s what I’m going for here.

As I move about the kitchen, my mind wanders. I feel a tinge of bitterness rise up like bile in my soul as I embrace the truth that things really aren’t normal. At all. I remember that our fam is supposed to be on a Spring Break in Florida this week. That little sliver of bitterness is just enough. A crack is all it needed and now the door is flung wide open. Next, I’m recalling last night’s reports about the stimulus bickering on Capital Hill. And then I’m worrying about my sweet friend’s recent Facebook live post and hoping she’ll be OK. From there, I’m waxing poetic (inwardly) about how much I hate the guilt-inducing virus memes and the skewed information in articles and posts online. And then back to worry… “is everyone OK? Why haven’t I heard back from my friend in Rome? I hate that mom and dad live 12 hours away. Is my MIL’s asthma putting her at higher risk? Is my Grandad lonely over there in that big house? Will my friend’s immune system cope with this?”

Welp. I wanted normal. And, if I’m not careful, this part is normal too. This tendency toward bitterness, worry, and stress is always lurking there in the shadows. THOSE neuropathways are well-worn in this old brain.

So I pour the tea and head to a cozy spot. The house is still quiet… because, well, things actually aren’t normal and the teenagers aren’t up and headed out for their normal days. Who really knows when they’ll be up – could be 10 minutes, could be two hours. Because… yeah, nothing’s normal. Except, evidently, my old, sinful nature! So… back to finding a cozy spot before I start getting bitter about the not knowing.

In the quiet, I admit that I don’t have the mental energy to go to Jeremiah – my original plan for lenten reading when I was all inspired back in February. Instead, I return to a familiar passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I taught it just a few weeks ago. Who knew that we’d all need it so badly just a few days later?

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

At that, I am calmed. This is how I build a new neuropathway. By renewing my mind with truth instead of staying stuck on the pathway that leads to inward destruction. I forge new connections, traveling a newer pathway that is really the most ancient pathway of all.

Oh, peace of God. Spirit of the Living God, come stand like a sentry over my heart and mind. Guard it like a prized possession – your treasure. Help me turn to you moment by moment, letting YOU and YOUR peace stand vigilant over my thoughts, emotions, passions, and desires. Thank you that I don’t have the burden of working harder to do the guarding all by myself. I don’t have to muster joy out of my own being. I just have to come to you. To let my thoughts dwell on you: YOU are true. YOU are honorable. YOU are just… not like our politicians but always exactly just. YOU are pure… there is no blemish in you; no sliver of bitterness rising up like bile. YOU are lovely… so lovely that I can barely take it in. YOU are commendable… in every way. Crowd out the old ways with Your presence and bring me back to this quiet mental space often, Lord. Nothing else will suffice. Make this my new normal. Amen and amen. 

How to Choose a Commentary for Personal Bible Study

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I was recently asked some good questions about how I study the Bible and how I prepare to teach books of the Bible. Part of that question involved the tools I use – like commentaries. I thought I’d take a sec to offer a few thoughts about commentaries in general and which ones I use.

A Disclaimer

Let me start by saying that a commentary is NOT necessary to your personal study of the Bible. A Bible commentary can be used to SUPPLEMENT your personal study. It should not be used INSTEAD of personal study. Since the commentary itself is not Scripture, it’s important for the studier to weigh what she reads against other sources, as well as her own Spirit-led pondering. A good commentary represents hundreds and hundreds of hours of painstaking study and research in the original languages. It is certainly to be cherished as the considered opinion/interpretation of scholarly, Jesus-loving men and women. But, it is NOT infallible like the Scripture itself.

Of course, you’re not infallible either so getting the input of others can be helpful. Especially when you read something that is confusing at first glance. Sitting down with your pastor or spiritual mentor can be a form of commentary. That is healthy and good. I’m definitely NOT against commentaries. I just want to always encourage us toward personal study first. God’s Word was intended for the common, everyday person. His desire was to share His heart and reveal His grand story to us. Not to hide things from us or further confuse us! He didn’t make it so tricky that we can’t catch it’s basic meaning by opening it up and just reading it. So, first, try to read it on your own. Sit with your question for a day or three. Pray about it. Speak it aloud when you’re alone in the car. Journal about it. Bounce it off of a friend or group of friends. AFTER you have done that hard work yourself, feel free to go consult a good commentary.

Now, I realize that some of you may be asking, what the heck is a commentary?

To answer that, I’m going to borrow from the gotquestions.org website: “A Bible commentary is a series of notes explaining the meaning of passages of Scripture. A commentary may explain the language used in a section of text. Or it may discuss the historical background. Almost all commentaries attempt to explain the passage in terms of some system of theology. In other words, the commentary is an explanation of how the Bible fits together and what it means. Since a Bible commentary is written by human authors, it will reflect the beliefs and perspective of those writers.”

If you have a study Bible, those little notes in the margins are a form of commentary because they further explain the original text. You can also buy a separate, more in-depth commentary that covers certain sections of the Bible.

How do I decide which commentaries I’ll use?

Commentaries are usually categorized according to their purpose:  technical (for in-depth exegetical study), pastoral (for sermon prep), and devotional (for personal study). There are no points for picking a technical commentary to look smart or scholarly. They’re usually more expensive and most of us just don’t need to go that heady. Rather, the majority of us probably need the devotional or pastoral commentary, not the technical one. I often pick a pastoral one, since I’m preparing to teach.

When I go to teach a book of the Bible, I buy 2-3 individual commentaries.  To choose them, I consult three sources:

  1. I ask our pastors at Redemption Chapel. Listen, if I don’t trust these men and their direction on trusted sources, then I shouldn’t be going to this church. We have three godly pastors at our church. They love God’s Word and seek to diligently handle it accurately, so their input on commentaries is invaluable.
  2. I check Tim Challies’ blog. He is a pastor who has curated a list of every book of the Bible and has recommended 4 or 5 commentaries for all 66 books of the Bible. He also explains which ones are more technical and which ones are more “readable” for someone (like me) who isn’t a scholar in the original languages of the Bible (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic).
  3. I check the bestcommentaries.com website for recommendations. This helpful website is a little like Challies’ site in that it rates commentaries and provides commentary rankings for each book of the Bible. It’s more extensive and has less prose than Challies’ lists. It also has lists, or “featured libraries,” from pastors and authors.

As a general rule, these sets offer reputable devotional commentaries: NIV Application Commentary, New Bible Commentary, The Bible Speaks Today, God’s Word For You series, and The New Testament for Everyone.

If you’re in doubt, by all means reach out to a mentor or spiritual leader in your life. If you’re a woman at Redemption Chapel, I’m happy to review a resource for you and give you my two cents. I’ll be honest, you truly can’t trust everything you read. Just because it sold well on Amazon doesn’t mean it handles God’s Word accurately! And since commentaries can be expensive, you definitely want to do your homework before you buy something. If you live local, my friend Ann at Logos Bookstore in Kent is always happy to help you order something and often offers a 20% off coupon or two in her quarterly newsletter.

I hope that helps. Happy studying, friends. I pray you will never grow weary of applying yourself to the study of God’s Word.

Making the Most of Your Time

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Today marks the last day of our church’s women’s Bible study through the book of Genesis. Among other things, we have made lists, looked for repeated phrases, watched the genealogies, studied the history, noted the characteristics of God revealed in that history, highlighted key words, and looked up the meaning of words like “covenant”. Three hundred women on an adventure through these 50 chapters of this, the “Book of Beginnings”.

Fifty chapters of seeing God’s patience. His sovereignty. The way He keeps His promises. His love, mercy, and justice mingling together. His scarlet thread of redemption that started in chapter 3 and kept on throughout the book. His constant foreshadowing of Jesus. His provision for His covenant people.

I have loved watching our women go after it. Making time to read and study their Bibles. In fact, I was so inspired that when they posted on social media, I started downloading their photos to make this little collage. I love that they didn’t wait for life to slow down or their circumstances to change – they seized the time they already had. Reading and studying on the go if they had to.

I share the photos here now, because I hope you’re inspired and encouraged too. We can do this. We can tend to our inner souls and let our worldview be transformed in the small, ordinary moments of our days. A prayer breathed as we change a diaper. A verse of truth internalized while we wait at our kid’s swim meet. A big thought about God pondered while we take our lunch break at work. A moment alone with our journals before the chaos starts and everyone else wakes up. A chapter read while kids or pets climb on us. A choice to read over our letters from God while we travel (for work or pleasure). Honestly, I wonder if it’s in those spaces that God is most honored because of the intentionality and desire that goes with all those interspersed moments.

It reminds me a little bit of Brother Lawrence who learned to practice the presence of God as he went about his day. He even penned a prayer that started, “Oh Lord of the pots and pans…”

He is the God of Creation. He is the God of Covenant. And, yet, He is also the God of our ordinary moments. What a joy to know Him!