Several things in our personal life and our community’s lives have been rough lately. So inspired by this post, I thought I’d share some simple pleasures that have been highlights for me.

1. Farmer’s Markets – There is something charming about these stands and their wares when the weather turns a bit fallish. We hit one this weekend and I was smitten.

 

2. Grocery Budget, Costco and The Spice Merchant – We have had some unexpected (and expected) expenses this year. We have virtually eliminated our Eating Out budget for the time being. Which means our grocery budget helps keep us sane and not feeling deprived. Costco gets us things like healthy (well, healthier) chicken patties to pop in the microwave when we want to eat out or I don’t want to cook. Stores like The Spice Merchant provide us with quality coffee beans and things like mixed peppercorn to grind for meals we make at home. We are still saving, still in budget, and yet not feeling deprived.

 

3. Birthday money and generous family & community – I found this Pier One hand-painted ceramic bowl at a nearby yard sale. For $5. I know. We make it a rule to not use birthday or fun money for anything but fun stuff. Again, when we don’t feel deprived, sticking to our budget is easier. Plus, my kind-hearted father heard us talking about eventually wanting a shelf to round out our entryway project. So he whipped this up and stained it to match our floors. I’m floored.

4. Bike rides, eclipse sightings, birthday texts & wishes and family time – As always, the best things in life aren’t things. I love our family’s story, the race He’s asking us to run, and the wonderful people we get to run with.

 

Anything helping you during this (often full) season? I’d love to hear.

 

“Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required burnt offerings prescribed for each day.” Ezra 3:4

Back in verse one, we learned our newly-returned exiles set up house until “the seventh month” when they all gathered in Jerusalem. This month in the Jewish calendar is called Tishri, which includes our September/October.

This month is also the most holy month of the Jewish year.

The first day of Tishri, the people of God were to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets.

 

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.'” (vs. 23-25)

 

The Feast of Trumpets, now called Rosh Hashanah, was the beginning of preparation for the Day of Atonement ten days later. With the trumpet blast, the nation knew it was time for some introspection. Who had they sinned against? What wrongs needed to be made right as the priest was to enter the holy place soon and atone for the community’s sins?

 

Then on Tishri 15-21, an abrupt about-face was commanded, and the people of God were to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles – with joy. This Feast reminded the Israelites how the LORD had sustained them in the wilderness until they entered the Promised Land.

 

 

“All native-born Israelites are to live in booths so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 23:42-43)

 

As they lived in tents in the wilderness, so His people were to remember each year by dwelling in temporary shelters or booths. In Hebrew this feast is called Sukkot, which means booths. These booths were to be made with two and a half walls and a ceiling made from “something that grew from the ground and was cut off.” So things like tree branches, corn stalks or sticks. These days, Orthodox Jews will use wooden two-by-fours. (See this informative site.)

I love how practical God is. Not only is He commanding His people to remember each year what He did for them by sustaining them in the wilderness, He does it in a fun, joyful way. The site above mentioned building a booth (singular form is sukkah, to rhyme with Book-a) is a fulfillment of the childhood desire to build a fort. And dwelling in it for 7 days is like camping in your backyard.

Not only that, but the practicality extends to the time of year: it was a feast to celebrate the harvest at the end of September. And He commands joy:

“Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your Feast – you, yours sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.” Deuteronomy 16:13-15)

Isn’t He beautiful? He commands us to remember. He loves for us to celebrate with joy. And He didn’t just sustain the Israelites in the wilderness; He sustains us too.

We know this isn’t Heaven. In what can feel like the wilderness – and what truly is a war zone – He sustains us.

He came the first time to inhabit a temporary shelter of a human body and dwell among us.

Until He returns and creates a New Heavens and a New Earth and rules with the kind of justice and compassion our world longs for, we remember. We celebrate. And we let him sustain us in these earthly tents.

 

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…

 

One more beautiful thing about this Feast I originally learned from this study. The Feast of Sukkot was one of the Three Great Feasts for which the Jews were commanded to return to Jerusalem. Every day after the sacrifice was burned, the priests would pour wine on the altar. By Jesus’ day, this wine pouring also included a water pouring ritual during Sukkot.

According to this site, “each morning of Sukkot, the priests went to the pool of Siloah near Jerusalem to fill a golden flask…They then ascended and poured the water so that it flowed over the altar simultaneously with wine from another bowl.”

And one more: “This ceremony was even more important on the final day of the feast, called the ‘Last Great Day.’  When the priest poured the water onto the altar, it was referred to as ‘living water.'”

Want to see something cool? In John 7, Jesus’ brothers try to encourage Him to go to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles and show off His miracles. He didn’t respond well to their request because their hearts were full of unbelief, but halfway through the Feast, Jesus did begin teaching in the temple courts.

Then “on the last and greatest day of the Feast” – when the priest poured water onto the altar and referred to it as living water – “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,

‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'” (John 7:37-38)

 

Doesn’t He just get better and better?

He is our Atonement.

He is our Shelter.

He is our Living Water.

 

Tomorrow is Final Friday! Make sure to not miss Breaking the Cycle: My Story Art Show at Youth Horizons 1601 E. Douglas from 6 – 9.

Also tomorrow: the Pop Up Urban Park Grand Opening. Ribbon Cutting starts at 11:30 am and the event rounds out as a destination for Final Friday’s Art Crawl.

 

Come tonight from 5 – 7 to the Sedgwick County Extension Office to learn how to make Yeast Bread.

 

Free Family Movie at New Market this Saturday night, courtesy of Loving Learners. Bring blankets or chairs to enjoy free popcorn and popsicles. Show starts at 8:30.

 

Johnson’s Garden is holding their annual Pansy Mania Days for the next week. If you bring in non-perishable food items and/or produce from your garden, you earn “Mania Money.” Then from September 25 – October 4, you can use your Mania Money toward any purchase.

This weekend is Tree Top Nursery’s 40th Anniversary Sale. Come enjoy free refreshments and 25% off merchandise.

 

This Saturday is the Carpenter Place Polo Cup. Register to join this family-friendly event to support Carpenter Place and their mission to help hurting girls.

 

KMUW is hosting a series of free musical concerts in Old Town beginning this Saturday in the Farm and Art Market Plaza. Come hear jazz from William Flynn Trio, WSU Jazz combos, and Brazilian choro jazz from A Terra Plana. Fun starts at 7:00 pm.

 

Thanks to Smithsonian Magazine, this Saturday is Free Admission to Museum Day. Head here to print your ticket and enjoy free admission to everything from the Kansas Aviation Museum to the Museum of World Treasures to the Kansas Cosmosphere.

Believe it or not, it is also Free Admission to State Parks on Saturday. Choose any of these locations and explore our state.

 

Sunday is Food Trucks at the Fountain at Waterwalk from 11 – 2.

 

Wichita Public Library is having their Fall Used Book Sale today through Saturday.

 

I hope you have a great weekend!

 

Met a lovely friend at the lovely Watermark Books

Inspiration

He found one he liked

I found one I liked

Exotic

Future project

Homemade Egg Rolls

The sky was glorious. I kept wishing I could get a shot without light poles, but then figured…that’s real life.

More bounty

Wrestling at the dinner table

Sweet neighbor passed on garden fresh tomatoes

The river rarely disappoints…neither does He

Three cheers for Hillside and Douglas Dillon’s. Instead of marking down bouquets, they were giving them away yesterday. It delighted me and a few other customers to no end.

Making a Costco-sized box of Cheez-Its snack-size-able.

 

Your 7 Days?

It’s been a while since I’ve chatted about something domestic. So here we go.

I have been using Castile soap lately for cleaning different areas, but the other day wondered if it would stand up to the toilets. I jumped on Pinterest to see what others DIY’ed for toilet bowl cleaners and a project was born.

I used this recipe and halved it:

 

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup castile soap

2 Tbsp hydrogen peroxide

1/3 cup water

Drops of essential oil

 

Use a funnel to put it all in your container of choice. I had a mostly-empty toilet bowl cleaner bottle hanging around, so I used it since I like the angled neck. Shake well.

Voila! I know it doesn’t look DIY’ed but…angled neck.

 

Well, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is a powerful combo. It pretty much shot out of the container. And I’m happy to report it cleaned beautifully.

 

Have you tried cleaning with less chemicals and more household supplies?

“Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.”

 

Oh, fear.

 

While our group of exiles were setting up house, they most likely heard some grumbling from the “peoples around them.” We will see in chapter 4 they particularly had issues with those from Samaria, north of Jerusalem. Way back, about 180 years when the northern kingdom was first taken captive, the king of Assyria “brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.” (2 Kings 17:24)

 

So, add about 2 centuries of them living here and having children and grandchildren, and you have the “peoples around” our exiles. And just because our group had King Cyrus’ administrative approval to return and rebuild their temple, does not mean they had the local people’s social approval.

 

I wonder if the peoples around murmured Who do they think they are? They were just in captivity – captivity they deserved.

 

Do you think our exiles knew that’s what the peoples around were thinking? Do you think they thought the same thing about themselves?

Does God do this in your life, too? Insist on showing you and those around you that your walk with Him is saturated in grace?

Because there are a couple verses about our Altar of Burnt Offerings we didn’t highlight last week:

“This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil pressed from olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as the morning – a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.” (Exodus 29:38-41)

 

We know the animal sacrifices were blood. Atonement for sin. But the grain and drink offerings were “a pleasing aroma” to the LORD. They were acts of worship. It goes right along with the burnt offering, but is different in meaning.

 

Every time we stand – and encourage others to stand – on the finished work of atonement Jesus accomplished on the cross, we can consider that a worship offering.

 

When the peoples around make us afraid, and we continue on in humility being faithful to what He has asked us to do, that is an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

 

And every time we love sincerely our fellow believers – more concerned with His glory among those watching than winning – it is a worship offering to Him.

 

Our exiles obeyed God and “built the altar on its foundation.” We know none of us can lay any foundation other than that which is already laid – Jesus Christ.

Believers, let’s stand on that Firm Foundation and love.

 

That will be an aroma pleasing to our LORD.

 

Fall events are in full swing.

 

Autumn & Art is coming to Bradley Fair all this weekend. Fun begins tomorrow night at 6 pm, but continues all day Saturday and Sunday. Come experience fine art, music, dancing and food.

Head to Reverie for some jazz tomorrow night beginning at 6 pm.

The boys had fliers in their school folders for Wichita Parks and Recreation’s Play Day. It is this Saturday from 1 -4 at O.J. Watson Park. Stuff like Pedal Boats, Inflatables, Human Foosball (hmm..), Stilts and Give-a-ways.

Watermark’s Saturday Storytime involves night animals. Also, did you know they do Audio Rentals for $2.50/week? Me neither. Plus, Kay Kendall will be on board tonight at 6 pm for the signing of her book Rainy Day Women.

This Saturday the 19th, the Wichita Birth Alliance is hosting the free Bump to Baby Fair from 9-1 at the Sedgwick County Extension Office. Visit a variety of vendors who can answer questions about choosing your birth team. There will be children’s activities and prizes, too.

Also on Saturday the Extension Office is featuring Winter Squash for their Saturday Sampler. Come from 9 – 10 am to learn how to cook this delicious vegetable.

 

The Old Town 10K Run/Walk will begin at 7:30 this Sunday the 20th at 1st and Mosley.

 

Library:

Pre-Party for Big Read’s Into the Beautiful North will be Saturday at 2:30 at the Wichita Art Museum.

On Sunday at Alford from 2:30-3:30, come enjoy stories celebrating Hispanic culture.

Evergreen is hosting Family Fun Night on Tuesday the 22nd at 6:30 pm. The theme is Move it With Machines. Come figure out what ordinary objects in your house work like a machine – plus make a pulley.

Today, the 17th, also at Evergreen, a Sedgwick County Master Gardener will be teaching about planting fall vegetables at 6:30 pm.

Next Wednesday the 23rd at 5 pm, Alford will begin their monthly book discussion over the mystery Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black.

Hey, do you know about the Launchpad Rental at the library? These are tablets you can rent for 2 weeks at a time with pre-loaded educational apps. It is secure and fun. Choose which topic would most interest your child, including learning a new language!

 

I hope your weekend is beautiful!

So many pretties in our yard right now

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans

Books

Twinkies

I actually think it’s charming…when I’m not in a hurry

Chiminea and S’mores – at the first hint of chill in the air. Always.

The only one who takes the time to get it browned just right

Spontaneous Skylander drawing

A College Hill September sky from the sun roof.

 

Your 7 Days?

Life has been so full.

My mind has been wrapped around prayer lately, then at the Beth Moore Simulcast, she killed it about prayer.

I’ve been thinking about a way I pray sometimes that doesn’t always feel like official “prayer.” Thought I’d share.

During a rough season I had typed out a bunch of verses that spoke to the struggle. But it was pretty cumbersome. I needed something to grab in the heat of the battle in my mind (and something easy to recite to myself if I was feeling intimidated). So I just left off verse numbers. I took out extra sentences. I narrowed it down to one bite.

 

Here’s a bit of the list:

Your truth lives in me

You will never lie to me

You have not run away from being my Shepherd

You will answer me

Your banner over me is love

You love me freely

You will fulfill your purpose for me

You will fight for me

You determine my steps

Your way is perfect

Your Word is flawleess

You are the Shepherd and Overseer of my soul

 

I wholeheartedly embrace Scripture memory in its fullness. But this gave me a lifeline to cling to when full verses were too much for my brain. Hope it encourages you!

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/3459-2/

“When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.
Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God…”

 

So our group has been settling in their various towns (2:70). After three months of setting up house, they assembled “as one man” back in Jerusalem.

 

What would you have done first? If you were the spiritual (Jeshua) or civil (Zerubbabel) leader of these 40,000 people?

 

I love how they immediately “began to build the altar of the God of Israel…”

 

Mind you, there is no actual temple yet. No walls, nothing. But first thing’s first.

 

There are two altars described in the Holy Scriptures: The Bronze Altar (Altar of Burnt Offerings) in Exodus 39:39, and the Altar of Incense in Exodus 30:1-10. The altar in our text is the former.

 

This Altar of Burnt Offerings is first described in Exodus 29:

“For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy…

For generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet with you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory…

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 29:37,42-43, 45)

 

Later it was this altar Solomon stood before as he dedicated the Temple of the LORD:

“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said:

‘O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below – you who keep your covenant of love…

The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there’…” (1 Kings 8:22-23, 27,29)

 

 

This was the altar visible to all the people. The one every person, no matter how rich or poor, could bring their appropriate sacrifice and worship Covenant Yahweh.

In contrast, the Altar of Incense was in the Holy Place, just before the curtain into the Holy of Holies.

In the wilderness, it might have looked like this:

With our Altar of Burnt Offerings for all to see in the courtyard, while the Altar of Incense is inside the Tent of Meeting.

 

In Solomon’s Temple it was positioned like this:

With our Altar of Burnt Offerings in the Outer Court, and the Altar of Incense inside the Holy Place (number 5).

 

The instructions for how to perform the burnt offerings are in Leviticus 6:

“The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar…The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out…The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.” (Lev 6:9b, 12, 13)

 

This repeated command must be important. And it is. The first time the burnt offering was consumed by fire, it came directly from the LORD:

“Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.” (Exodus 9:23-24)

Then later, when Solomon’s Temple was being dedicated, a similar thing happened:

“When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,

‘He is good;

His love endures forever.'” (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)

 

Oh yes, He is a Consuming Fire.

 

But there’s another, tender reason this is so important. Just like the first covenant with Abram, when the Smoking Firepot alone passed through the pieces, the only way for the sacrifice of man to be acceptable to God is if God Himself lit the fire on the altar. The atonement required for the people could only be made through Him.

 

Salvation is from the LORD.

 

Even under a Covenant that required sacrifice for every sin by the people, our Covenant God was the initiator. He alone made the way for the sacrifice to be acceptable.

 

Friends, how much more under the New Covenant? Jesus alone was the acceptable sacrifice. He makes the way. He is the Way.

 

And we get to rest there. We receive and rest. We cannot earn it or do enough. We just rest in that perfect Love that had a Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

 

“He is good,

His love endures forever.”

 

Salvation is from the LORD.