“4 Fried Chickens and a Coke”

When Jake and Elwood are rounding up the old band members, they stop in at the Soul Food Café, sit at the counter and place an order. Jake looks at the woman behind the counter (played by the great Aretha Franklin) and says: “Bring me four fried chickens and a Coke.”

That is one big appetite!

We might not have a healthy enough appetite to eat four chickens, but we normally eat to get full and to be satisfied. What about when we are sick or under the weather? We might not want to eat or try but just can’t. We mentally crave a meal but our bodies won’t cooperate. There might also be times when you dislike the food and don not want to eat what is placed in front of you or you might just crave something different. Has this ever happened to you? How did you feel? I bet you felt hungry or underfed.

We can relate this to our spiritual appetite. The Lord always has plenty for us to eat, but sometimes, we are not hungry, or we want something different. We do not always want to read the Bible, we do not always want to pray…and that leaves us spiritually hungry. Sometimes we are spiritually ill. We crave for the Lord’s guidance and love, but not sure where to start. We may even feel lost. Have you ever been to a restaurant and been handed a huge menu with tons of choices? You are hungry but really not sure what you want or have trouble trying to find something you like. By the time you decide, you are almost full from the free bread!

Man cannot live on bread alone. We need to be fed by the Word of the Lord.
-Deuteronomy 8:3

We need to find ways into God’s Word in a way that accommodates our taste and appetite. If you don’t like to pray, try just talking aloud without any formal etiquette behind it. Just spill your thoughts to God, he’s listening! Or, have someone pray for you or with you until you are more comfortable with your own style. If you are having trouble reading the Bible, try finding a daily devotional with a message that you can understand. That is a perfect way to start getting into God’s Word.

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” -Jeremiah 15:16

Dear Lord, thank you for always keeping us fed. Thank you for the guidance that your Word gives us. Give us an appetite for feasting on your gifts to us and let us not go hungry. 
Amen.

-J

“Our lady of blessed acceleration don't fail me now!”

Elwood: “They're not gonna catch us. We're on a mission from God.”

Throughout the entire movie, Jake and Elwood seem to find themselves running from the law and ending up in a massive high speed police chase resulting in a record-breaking amount of car collisions.

This reminds me of how we tend to attempt running away from God. We sometimes hear what His wants are for us, and we flee in the other direction trying to hide.
“One day the Lord told Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and say to the people, "The Lord has seen your terrible sins. You are doomed!" Instead, Jonah ran from the Lord. He went to the seaport of Joppa and bought a ticket on a ship that was going to Spain. Then he got on the ship and sailed away to escape.” -Jonah 1:1-3
 
Are you running from God? Well I’ve got news for you…You can’t out run or hide from God! Eventually we all get “caught.” We run from God all the time, sometimes without even knowing it. We need to learn that God is on our side. He’s our buddy, our pal, and is there when we need Him most. At times it may feel as if He is letting things happen a certain way to punish us, and we tend to turn away from Him asking, “Why God?” The “why” is that we learn about our purpose and how to be a better Christian when we are put to the test. We learn to lean on God to get us through the rough times.(Proverbs 3:5)
I mean, if He is the one that led us down our path, why would he not be there along the way and when we reach the end? Remember, even Jonah was saved from the belly of a whale after he realized he couldn’t hide and he reached out to God.

The Lord tells us in the Bible, “Do not fear, for I am with you.”-Isaiah 41:10

Dear Lord, We thank you for being a God of compassion and for loving us with more than we can ever imagine. Help us to not run from you, but to lean on you for support when the going gets tough. May we be comforted in your presence and know that we are walking each day at your side, for you are always with us. Amen.

-J

"Hit It"

After Jake and Elwood snuck out of the Big Show at the performance hall, they hopped in their car to race to the Chicago tax office. The Blues Brothers were confident about their expectations…despite an army of a police force chasing them all the way there! They knew that God sent them on a mission and that they would succeed. 

What can you say about the expectations of your mission in life? Are you confident that God will see you through?

The book of Exodus tells us about a story of Moses. He was told by God to go before a mighty Egyptian Pharaoh and demand that he free the Israelites he had enslaved. Moses had confident expectations that God would be there for him and his people. He was confident that God would do what He promised. The Pharaoh eventually, after many plagues, freed the Israelites and Moses led them away. 

I have recently struggled with my own confident expectation…for this very devotional. I have been plagued with “writer’s block” for two weeks and could not think of any details to expand on the many ideas I have for posts to this very blog. I was at first worried about not being able to come up with an entry for my beloved readers, but I was faithful and reliant on God to be with me and to send me words to give to you.

God gives us challenges, but also knows our limitations. He will never give us more than we can handle. All we have to do is know that God will see us through. We have to be confident in our expectations. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”-Hebrews 12:1 We will sometimes struggle during the race, but we need to run with endurance, meaning we keep faithful that God will see us through. We need not to give up because we cannot see the finish line.

Dear Lord, thank you for always watching over us and for seeing us through our rough times. It is great to know that you will not give us more than we can bear. We will be faithful when you lead us to the unknown with knowledge that you will guide us. What a blessing this is. May your name be praised always. Amen

-J