Hot Fudge Sundaes

I read this interesting story about hot fudge sundaes. The combination of hot and cold got my attention. I hope you enjoy this little piece of history: In 1890, a Wisconsin merchant named Smithson came up with a creative way to cope with his Sunday afternoon shortages of ice cream. With no Sunday deliveries, but with crowds of people with a welcome day off wanting ice cream, he thought of a way to stretch his supply. He began cutting back on the amount of ice cream he scooped and added toppings of chocolate sauce or fruit syrups instead. These Sunday creations became all the rage. Soon “Sundays” were being requested every day of the week. Not until some sensitive souls complained about using the name of the Sabbath for a sweet treat did Smithson change the spelling of his delicious invention to “sundae.” Who doesn’t enjoy a good hot fudge sundae . . . on any day of the week?!

It is that hot/cold double identity that makes the hot fudge sundae the perfect post-modern dessert. Post-modern culture is in love with combining opposites. Post-modern culture is about “both/and” reality. However, sometimes that is nothing more than the middle ground. Have you looked around and noticed that the middle ground isn’t near as safe as it use to be? What is happening to the middle class, middle management, or the middle-sized business? Middle use to be considered safe, defensible ground. Now it is a place where you can get hit in both directions and not know which end is up. We should have all listened when we told our children that it is just not safe to play in the middle of the road.

This analogy couldn’t be any more true than when you read the message of the Bible. Jesus never claimed, “I am the middle ground.” And when it comes to being in the middle, our Scripture this Sunday is going to point to how nauseating it is to the Lord that so many people choose to walk the middle of the road when it comes to their commitment to Christ. Sunday will be challenging, however the possibilities are especially exciting.

"He Loves Me"

“He loves me; he loves me not. He loves me; he loves me not.” The picture is of a little girl standing in the background chanting as she plucks petals, one by one, from a daisy and drops them on the ground. At game’s end, the last petal tells all: Whether or not the person desired returns the affection. We may not take seriously that game because of the fickleness of chance, but too often we approach our spiritual life with God in a similar vein.

• I got a raise. He loves me.
• I didn’t get the promotion I wanted; I lost my job altogether. He loves me not.
• Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me.
• My child is seriously ill. He loves me not.
• I gave money to someone in need. He loves me.
• I let my anger get the best of me. He loves me not.
• Something for which I prayed actually happened. He loves me.
• I stretched the truth to get myself out of a tight spot. He loves me not.
• A friend called me unexpectedly to encourage me. He loves me.
• My car needs a new transmission. He loves me not.

How stable can a life be when internally we respond with such a haphazard and fickle approach? Obviously it doesn’t work. It is one of the key reasons why our lives are described in the Bible as being tossed about like the waves of the sea.

We began with the first principle last Sunday in an eight-part series on spiritual principles that lead to deeper growth. Our series is entitled “Filling the Holes in Your Soul.” The first principle was “admitting your need for help.” The next principle is believing that God wants to help you . . . that he really loves you.