Desire: The natural longing that is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of any good, and impels to action or effort its continuance or possession; an eager wish to obtain or enjoy. (Source)

Our affections, or desires, are perhaps the greatest evidence of whether or not our life is found in Christ. Our pious words can lie. Our noble actions can deceive. But our desires are truth sayers. Though often hidden behind a facade of righteousness, our desires reveal and sometimes betray our heart.

Want to expose idols in your life? Take a long, thoughtful look at what you really, really, really want. Our desires act like pointers to God or to a myriad of false gods, from accolades to security, comfort to wealth, popularity to power.

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heartâ€s desires. [Psalm 37:4 HCSB]

There are a host of false teachers who will try to lead you to believe that God is not much more than a genie in a bottle whose greatest desire is to give you your every wish. Perhaps you know these lies are the stuff of fairy tales and this is not what David meant when he wrote that line of the psalm. You realize that it means God will give you new desires.

And youâ€re scared.

Scared because you like the desires you have now. You want Him to fulfill these desires, not give you new ones.

But notice, God is not merely saying no to the desires you have; He is giving you new desires. He is not coercing and forcing you to accept new desires. God works inside you to change what you desire so that your desires align with His desires. But they are still YOUR desires. And they are your DESIRES. You WANT to do them. And the desires you now have will not be taken from you; they will simply no longer be, well, desirable.

For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. [Philippians 2:13 HCSB]

So donâ€t be afraid of the desires God will give. Recognize that changed desires are evidence of your salvation. Trust God with your desires, knowing He always acts for your benefit and His glory. And enjoy the blessing of Godâ€s working out their fulfillment.

Have you discovered that old desires have lost their appeal? Has God given you a new desire that astounds you? I would love to hear about it!

The post The Desires of Your Heart appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

Iâ€ve heard it said that books do not change us. Itâ€s paragraphs and sentences that have the greatest impact. Golden nuggets of wisdom and truth, small enough to  be remembered, pondered, and digested into our lives. I came across just that sort of sentence two months ago and I am still marveling at the truth and grace in the words.

Lisa Leonard shared an exchange with her husband in which she lamented that she will always change diapers. Their oldest son was born with a disability that will likely require that he be diapered his entire life. If youâ€ve had even one child to diaper for two to three years, you can appreciate how daunting it must be to  face seemingly endless years of diapering. Her husband posed the thought that diapering their son may be one of the most important things she does all day. Thinking of all the responsibilities she carried, Lisa couldnâ€t imagine how this could be so. Her husband explained:

Think of heaven. Davidâ€s body will be whole. He wonâ€t have a disability. And imagine him saying, “Thank you, Mom. You gave me dignity when I couldnâ€t care for myself.”

Dignity. It is a word seldom used and yet it is full of beauty and grace.

When God created Adam and Eve, He bestowed upon them His very nature. Countless animals were created before them, many with beautiful form, powerful limbs and regal stature. But none compared to mankind, formed by the hand of God to bear His image. As the pinnacle of His creation, mankind was the most dignified of all creatures possessing beauty, intellect, creativity, love, compassion, morality.

When Adam and Eve sinned they saw that they were naked and they were ashamed. They attempted to hide their shame by covering themselves with fig leaves. God sacrificed animals to provide them with skins that would restore their dignity. Even though marred by sin, the dignity of mankind is important to God. We reflect the image of God when we serve in ways that bring dignity to one another.

• Caring for the physical needs of a mentally or physically impaired child
• Bathing and diapering an elderly parent
• Providing a home and a family, even if temporarily, to a foster child
• Treating an elderly person as if they were eighty instead of eight
• Recognizing a studentâ€s learning disability and not embarrassing them in front of other students
• Showing compassion and individual attention to a patient in a hospital bed
• Paying the bill of someone about to have their electricity turned off

As Lisaâ€s husband pointed out, it is not the seemingly grand accomplishments that are the most important. Sometimes the most important act of service we can perform in a day is the one that seems most mundane, yet is the one that allows us to reflect the image of God to others and extend dignity to one of His beloved.

For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me  in;  I was naked and you clothed  Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited  Me.†[Matthew 25:3 HCSB]

The post On Dignity appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

Boulangerie de Bourque

We decided if we ever open a family bakery this will be its name. I think it has a fabulous ring to it and baking for a living doesnâ€t sound nearly as farfetched as it once did.

My husband has always been the cook and a baker. Chocolate chip cookies are his specialty. I, on the other hand, have only specialized in being the cleaner upper in the kitchen. And a mighty fine one at that. He cooks; I clean up the mess. Itâ€s been our thing for over twenty years.

Until now.

Oh no, he hasnâ€t started being a kitchen cleaner upper any more than I have become a cook. But I have officially joined him as a baker. And my specialty is bread.

Though I have provided for my family in countless other ways, I have only recently experienced the joy of providing for them through the smells and tastes of delicious food. Just as I can count on my husband (and now my daughter) to whip up a batch of cookies whenever the craving strikes, my family counts on me to make the bread. It has been surprisingly satisfying to enjoy the fruit of this creative labor of bread baking.

I have already mentioned how fond I am of my grandmotherâ€s strawberry jam on Amish white bread. And my husband and son enjoy this Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread. Both are a labor of love and bread baking has become an integral part of my Sunday afternoon.

Along the way, I learned of a book that teaches how to make artisan bread.

Oh my! I received it as a gift just two weeks ago and itâ€s the best thing since sliced bread. No, it’s better. Because once you make your own bread and can slice it as thick as you want, youâ€ll never be satisfied with pre-sliced bread again. Just sayinâ€.

If youâ€ve ever wanted to try making bread but were worried about the labor part of this labor of love, run, run, run and get yourself The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day*. The authors are not exaggerating in boasting delicious bread in five minutes a day. Itâ€s not microwave fast, and it does not include the rise and bake time, but after you make a batch of dough (which might take you all of ten minutes) you can make a loaf of bread with hands-on work of only five minutes. For real.

Iâ€ve already made the classic boule, dinner rolls, and ciabatta. Iâ€ve tried the beginnerâ€s master dough recipe and my family gobbled up loaves of light whole wheat bread. Now that Iâ€ve gotten some rye flour Iâ€ve made this first batch of European peasant bread. Baguettes, flat breads, pumpernickel—here I come.

Since it is highly unlikely a business venture is in our future, we’re affectionately calling our kitchen Boulangerie de Bourque.

Do you enjoy baking? What is your favorite recipe?

Do you have a favorite way to provide for your family? Have you ever been surprised by a new interest in the least expected place?

The post In Which I Discover My Place in the Kitchen appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. [Romans 12:15 HCSB]

This verse is easier to understand than it is to obey. There is much that can be said about our ability to rejoice and weep with others, and I will address it in future writing; but for now, I want to focus on the latter part of each clause—“with those who rejoice” and “with those who weep.”

Life is full of highs and lows, triumphs and failures, moments of joy and despair. What a wonderful privilege it is to have a God who understands our joys and our sorrows. He who became flesh rejoiced and mourned, and in doing so, experienced the full range of human emotion. Our faith does not call us to a stoic life, but invites us to delight and rejoice in the good, the beautiful, and the godly, as well as mourn over sin and loss.

This verse also reveals that rejoicing and weeping are not meant to be experienced alone. We are free to express our most jubilant rejoicing and our most sorrowful weeping in the company of others who are called to join us in joyous celebration or compassionate burden bearing.

Emotions are much sweeter, purer, and grander when shared with others, wouldnâ€t you agree?

Yet, we believe a lie when instead of sharing our joys and sorrows and asking others to experience the emotion with us, we turn the spotlight on ourselves and expect others to experience joy and sorrow for us.

We trade rejoicing and weeping for boasting and complaining.

Instead of rejoicing with thanksgiving in our heart before the Lord, we seek attention and accolades. We boast in our achievements, our possessions and even about our children. Whether obvious or subtle, we are saying in our boasting, “Look at me! I need your praise. Be glad in all I have done.”

Instead of weeping over sin or loss in humble submission to the Lord, we seek attention and sympathy. We complain about petty inconveniences, we exaggerate difficulties, we call attention to ourselves instead of to that which grieves us. We are saying, “Look at me! I need you to feel sorry for me. Cry for all I am suffering.”

Donâ€t believe me? Look at your Facebook feed. I dare you to scroll back 24 hours. Youâ€ll see them both – boasting and complaining. Again and again.

I don’t have insight into the full issue, but I think social media has provided a platform that nurtures growth of these sinful habits. The sin is our own, but it is amplified, celebrated and imitated via social media.

Instead of calling a close friend or two to share our gladness, we headline it to hundreds of “friends” and the more who respond the happier we can be. Instead of telling our children face-to-face that we are proud of them, we tell them in front of the world so everyone will be proud of us for having such wonderful children.

Got a new job after a year of unemployment? By all means, rejoice and be glad and share it with others. Is a serious illness threatening to overtake a loved one? Of course, itâ€s appropriate to share with as many people as will bring you comfort and pray for you.

Yet, while there is no hard and fast line that can be drawn, itâ€s usually obvious when the line has been crossed. Are you announcing your fourth exotic vacation this year? Or praising your all A student for yet another A? Or grumbling that your favorite coffee shop has closed and now you might die for lack of caffeine? If so, examine your heart and ask yourself whether you are wanting others to rejoice or weep with you or for you.

But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Galatians 6:14a HCSB]

I won’t dare boast in my success in boasting in Christ alone, but it is certainly my earnest desire to do so. In my own social media musings, I have borrowed from the adage, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all,” to say to myself, “If you are boasting or complaining, don’t say anything at all.” This has caused me to cancel many drafted status updates and kept me silent instead.

Have you noticed the same trend in your social media feeds? 

Are you guilty of boasting and complaining?

Why do you think we are trading the blessing of emotion for the lie of ego stroking? 

The post Trading Rejoicing and Weeping for Boasting and Complaining appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

A friend and I sit at either end of the sofa chattering back and forth, sharing our lives with one another. We talk about our children, our latest home projects, aging gracefully (both physically and spiritually), and recipes we want to try. We talk about our struggles with sin, relationships that challenge us, and what God is teaching us in the midst of our circumstances.

We encourage one another to live faithfully, and challenge one another to grow in Christlikeness. In the midst of the chatter about our everyday lives, words of Biblical counsel are exchanged.

Watch out, brothers, so that there wonâ€t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.  But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sinâ€s deception. [Hebrews 3:12-13 HCSB]

Biblical counseling has as its foundation in the word “encourage,” which comes from the Greek transliteration parakaleō and has a broad spectrum of meaning:

• admonish or exhort (a strong word of warning);
• beg, entreat, or beseech (a plea to listen);
• console, encourage, or comfort (a tender word of comfort);
• strengthen, instruct, or teach.*

The root literally means “to call to oneâ€s side;” it is coming alongside someone to give help. While we can exercise parakaleō through counseling, discipling, and mentoring, Biblical encouragement is not only a formal ministry undertaken by those gifted and trained to counsel. Biblical encouragement is the way all believers are called to minister to one another.

Encouraging one another in the truth of the Word is not an event to place on our calendar; it is how we serve one another in the midst of the seemingly mundane conversations we share. Opportunities for ministry abound: when we meet with a friend or bump into an acquaintance at the store, during conversations over the dinner table, or through a few hopeful words called out as your children run out the door.

YOU are called to be an encourager. Right where you are. To the people with whom you are surrounded.

Are you coming alongside others and helping them grow in grace?

Are there a few people in your life with whom you share the ordinary stuff of life in order to build a relationship that will allow words of Biblical counsel to flourish?

As words of Biblical encouragement are shared, the ordinary suddenly becomes extraordinary. As you minister to one another you tread on holy ground.

* Source

The post Ministry in the Ordinary Everyday appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

With the celebration of Mother’s Day my thoughts naturally turned to the love I have for my own mom. I not only think of her unconditional love for me and how she has always been my biggest cheerleader, but I also see her as an incredibly kind woman, who is growing in grace and reflecting Christ to those around her. I am truly grateful for the blessing of being her daughter.

I have also been thinking a lot this week about being a mother and how my own children have been a gift to me. God has used each one to challenge me and bless me in different ways. Much of my own growth in grace has been accomplished in the soil of motherhood.

Both my son and my daughter are complete joys, but when I saw another blogger say this week that having a daughter is everything she’d hoped it would be and more, I teared up in agreement. The bond my daughter and I share is as strong as I prayed it would be – just like the bond I share with my mom and the bond she shared with hers. Perhaps it will be our heritage to pass to future mothers and daughters to come.

Not long ago my daughter and I made strawberry freezer jam. I have sweet memories of making this jam with my grandma, but had not had it in over a decade. I won’t make that mistake again.

I have been enjoying this jam nearly every day with this homemade bread recipe shared by Susie Davis. The two together are scrumptious. And if you choose to enjoy it with tea, you may even find yourself humming Do-Ra-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do.

It makes a big batch, so you’ll have plenty to share. Or you can easily cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!

(This is an affiliate link. If you use it to join Plan to Eat, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.)

The post Mother-daughter Bonding ~ with Jam and Bread appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

Happy Saturday!

What joy it was to behold the glow of sunrise reflecting off ice-laden trees a couple of weeks ago. Now we are awaiting a heavy snowfall with six to twelve inches of snow predicted. It’s surely winter in Michigan and I am enjoying the beauty of the season. Yes, it is cold. Bitterly so. But snuggled warm in my home, it is hard to complain. I am so thankful.

I am also thankful that this weekend will finally see the end of the holiday treats that have lingered. I am looking forward to returning to healthier eating. I dare not say healthy eating or I would be giving you a completely untrue vision of myself. So I’ll just stick with healthier, for surely a cookie is healthier than ice cream cake, wouldn’t you agree?

I continue to ponder goals and resolutions and one words.  So much is being said about these this time of year, and no matter what approach you take don’t be fooled into thinking a one-time declaration will bring about change. It’s only a start. Real change takes time, and it happens in the moment by moment decisions we make on the very ordinary days to come. Paul David Tripp says it best, so I’ll leave it to him:

Trading One Dramatic Resolution for 10,000 Little Ones

The fact of the matter is that the transforming work of grace is more of a mundane process than it is a series of a few dramatic events. Personal heart-and-life change is always a process. And where does that process take place? It takes place where you and I live everyday. And where do we live? Well, we all have the same address. Our lives donâ€t careen from big moment to big moment. No, we all live in the utterly mundane.

Most of us wonâ€t be written up in history books. Most of us only make three or four momentous decisions in our lives, and several decades after we die, the people we leave behind will struggle to remember our lives at all. You and I live in little moments, and if God doesnâ€t rule our little moments and doesnâ€t work to recreate us in the middle of them, then there is no hope for us, because that is where you and I live.

May God rule in the mundane moments of your day today. Have a blessed weekend, friends.

The post Weekend Renewal appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

For several years I have chosen one word on which to focus for an entire year. This word becomes a constant companion in the back of my mind, pressing me to move forward, challenging me to take steps of faith or to grasp hold of a promise of God, and even giving me courage to make hard decisions. In past years my one word has been Satisfied, Reach, and Faithful.

As 2013 and my year of seeking to be faithful came to a close I could not ignore the nagging feeling that I never allowed faithfulness to touch one area of my life. It begged for attention, gnawing at the recesses of my mind. I rationalized and made excuses, yet it would not let me be. So as the new year opens up before me, I know that I must submit to it, facing it head on by making it my one word for 2014.

It’s not a romantic word. It’s not a fun word. It’s full of grit, determination, and sheer obedience. It’s become a 4-letter word in our society whose counter-biblical message is gaining a strong foothold in a godless generation. Unwittingly, I have allowed this message to creep into my own life and it’s time to make it stop.

It is not a word I want. But it is the word I most need to speak to myself, to be held accountable for, and to pursue.

As my one word for 2014 I have chosen to bring redemption within my own life to the God-given gift of  work.

The gift of work? Yes, and the fact that I haven’t regarded work as a gift is the very reason I must choose to focus on it so that my mind may be renewed by truth.

If I am going to redeem work in my life I must view work as a gift from God.

Here is what I have seen to be good: it is appropriate to eat, drink, and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of his life God has given him, because that is his reward. God has also given riches and wealth to every man, and He has allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God,  for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart. [Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 HCSB, emphasis mine]

Since the Garden, even before the Fall, man was made to work (Genesis 2:15). Work gives our lives purpose and fulfillment, it is a means to provide for our families, it allows us to glorify God by utilizing the gifts and talents He has bestowed in each of us, and it is a means by which we may serve others. Work is indeed a gift.

In my initial studies I have found there is so much more to work than I can address at one time, so I will return to this one word throughout the year and share what I am learning and how I am growing. Would you join me?

Do you view work as a gift, or like me, do you need to face work as a 4-letter word head on?

Have you chosen one word for 2014? If so, I’d love to hear it and to cheer you on this year.

The post One Word 2014 appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

The New Year provides a natural opportunity to reflect on the road which we have traveled and to peer ahead to where we are going. We evaluate our priorities and align our goals and make resolutions to direct our steps accordingly. And we are told over and over again that if we want to be happy and make 2014 the best year ever we have to write goals that are S.M.A.R.T. and then know and follow a plan to achieve those goals.

Formulas that are big on promises make me squeamish. Yet they easily become the talk of the town so I wonder if I’m missing something that everyone else seems to understand. I churn this whole concept around in my mind, peel back the hype, and wrestle through the implications. In the end, I take hold of this truth.

The best goals are ones we will never achieve.

What? Why make a goal that cannot be achieved? Wouldn’t that bring about continual discouragement? How could that possibly make us happy?

Ah, but who knows the way to happiness? The world? Or the Word?

Happy is a man who finds  wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than  gold. [Proverbs 3:1 HCSB]

Who doesn’t want to be happy? We seek happiness in people, possessions, and achievements. We drown our sorrows in food, alcohol and lewd living. We are so desperate to be happy that we eagerly grasp anything that promises to provide just a moment of happiness.

But happiness that is beyond temporal is found only in the Lord. Therefore, knowing Him is our highest, most valuable goal.

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.  More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ —the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,  I pursue as my goal the prize promised by Godâ€s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:7-14 HCSB, emphasis mine]

Paul knew this truth. He knew he could never fully achieve the prize of Christ during his earthly life. Yet, he pursued the goal of knowing Christ anyway. So precious is knowing Christ that it does not matter if the goal is S.M.A.R.T.

A goal is said to be S.M.A.R.T. if it is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Knowing Christ is specific and infinitely relevant, yet we cannot fully achieve it so we certainly cannot limit it to a fixed period of time. We cannot even measure it, but we can observe it. As we pursue knowing Christ our progress is seen as growth in grace. It is the fruit we bear (Galatians 5:22) and the garments we wear (Colossians 3:12-17).

As we pursue knowing Christ we become more and more like Him. Thus reaching for our goal isn’t so much about what we do, rather it’s about who we become.

As you make your resolutions and goals for 2014, including the worthwhile S.M.A.R.T. goals, don’t forget that the biggest and best goal of all is one you will never attain, yet it is the one most worth pursuing. Make knowing Christ your highest goal and you will grow in ways far beyond what you could even imagine. It’s not a formula, but it is a promise you can trust.

The post The Best Goals Are Ones We Will Never Achieve appeared first on Shelli Bourque.

Hi there! I know, I know. It’s been a while. Clearly, blogging and taking courses with CCEF can’t happen at the same time for me. But I’m not sweating it. The work is just for a season and I am learning so much and I feel immensely blessed. I just completed my hardest course yet, on Biblical interpretation, and I am thankful for this much-needed break. I hope to write as much as I can in the next month before I’ll likely disappear again for my final class.

Of course, I can never begin writing again without playing in my blog sandbox. Don’t expect any major changes, just a little fine-tuning to make this space reflect the possibilities I’ve imagined. The biggest change will be a new tag line, which is sort of a big deal. It’s such a small thing, yet means so much. I’ve finally come up with something that pulls together my story and my dream. So, yes, it is a big deal.

While I had to take a break from writing, I never stop reading. Here are some good articles from the past month or so, if you have a few moments to take a look:

A Man Stole This Womanâ€s Wallet, and You Wonâ€t Believe What Happened Next – A story of grace.

The Real Truth about ‘Boring†Men — and the Women who Live with Them: Redefining Boring – Oh, girls, you who seek romance in creative proposals (even as early as an invitation to a high school homecoming dance), this is especially for you. And even you who are long married and wonder if romance is real. Yes it is, but perhaps not in the way you once thought.

How a man proposes isnâ€t what makes him romantic. Itâ€s how a man purposes to lay down his life that makes him romantic.

The Art and Science of the Humblebrag – A humorous look at an ever-increasing symptom of our self-centeredness.

Of all the words coined in response to the realities of this digital world, of all the words recently added to the dictionary, humblebrag must be among the best. According to the Macmillan dictionary, a humblebrag is “a statement in which you pretend to be modest but which you are really using as a way of telling people about your success or achievements.” It is bragging in the guise of humility, putting a thin veneer of humble over a clear expression of proud. And it seems to be an integral part of an effective social media presence.

Have you managed to get thousands of people to follow you on Twitter or friend you on Facebook? Do you need to keep reminding them why you are worthy of their attention? Let me offer you some ways you can grow in the art and science of the humblebrag.

Modesty Matters: The Heart of Modesty

And this is what so many modesty discussions turn into. “Only this high. Only this short. Never in this combination.” We feel what may be a good desire to be modest and we address it through rules. Soon we become captive to the rules; the rules become our salvation and our sanctification.

13 Characteristics of a Date Rapist: A List You Need to Share – Yes! Please share – with your daughters, friends, everyone.

So how are you, friends? I hope you are finding moments for quiet in the midst of the festivities. I am thoroughly enjoying the lights, music, and wonder of Advent. There is such thrill in anticipation. I am grateful for the focused reminder of Christ’s return. May our hearts bow low before Him.

The post weekend renewal appeared first on Shelli Bourque.