Today marks the beginning of the third month of my Proverbs 365 project.  It's going stronger than ever, and I find that I'm really enjoying this good, long soak in the wisdom of Proverbs.  Just like I did last month, I thought it might be interesting to highlight three of my personal favorites from the past month of the project.

My favorite Proverbs-related story from the last month would have to be P2306 - Coffee Cake Conflict.  In the post, I share a personal anecdote from my university years which helps to illustrate Proverbs 23:6-8:  "Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.  'Eat and drink,' he says to you, but his heart is not with you.  You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments." You really have to read the post to get the full effect of my reflections on the subject -- but suffice to say the story involves young bachelors learning to run their own household, eating nothing but coffee cake for dinner, and gift presented to a 20-year-old with a note saying, "Happy Birthday, you bitter old man." Follow the link above for the whole story.

Secondly, one of the greatest personal challenges that I experienced in the month of February came from reading Proverbs 26:11, which prompted my recollections entitled P2611 - Vomitous Victuals.  The title of the post is a direct reference to the Proverb itself, found in chapter 26, verse 11:  "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." As I meditated on this verse, I came to realize how I can foolishly respond to feelings of loneliness by sitting at the computer, obsessively hitting the Send/Receive button on my e-mail reader -- hoping for some sort of pathetic companionship from a glowing computer screen.  When the e-mails don't come, I get sad.  When I don't get many comments on my blog(s), I get sad.  But I keep going in a foolish cycle of loneliness.  "It's the same story... when I check my Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube pages.  I scramble around the internet like a squirrel, hunting for nuts that just aren't there... " If you can relate to these feelings at all, I would definitely recommend following the link and taking a look at the post for yourself.

Thirdly, I think one of the verses which stuck with me the most from February was Proverbs 3:3-4:  "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man." You can read my thoughts on this Proverbs at P334 - Love and Faithfulness.  Honestly, I'm not sure if my personal reflections in this post are really all that poignant -- but the Proverb itself is powerful enough to prompt us to question ourselves:  "So how do we get back on track with these core qualities of Love and Faithfulness?  How do we make these our calling card?  The necklace around our necks?  The tattoo written across our chests?" I attempt to start answering some of these questions in my post, and I would love to hear any other dialogue that others might want to contribute as well.

For a more comprehensive listing of the February's content, here are the titles of all 28 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the contact:

• P122 - Stuck on Simplicity
• P206 - The Key to Understanding the Proverbs
• P334 - Love and Faithfulness
• P414 - Traffic Advice
• P506 - Checking for Blind Spots
• P610 - How to Avoid a Hold-Up
• P702 - Apple of Your Eye
• P809 - Atheist Buses
• P903 - Lady Wisdom and Her Staff Team
• P1008 - California Ryan
• P1124 - The Wedding Card Dilemma
• P1216 - Wat Vervelend
• P1308 - Mo' Money Mo' Problems
• P1410 - Considering Condolences and Congratulations
• P1504 - Green Tree
• P1618 - The Prognostication Possibilities of Pride
• P1714 - Water Management is Serious Business
• P1803 - Downward Spiral
• P1919 - The Predicaments of Hot-Headedness
• P2029 - Gray Area
• P2109 - A Case for Separation
• P2204 - NHL vs. NBA
• P2306 - Coffee Cake Conflict
• P2410 - Feats of Strength
• P2515 - Bones Yes, But What About Bureaucratic Red Tape?
• P2611 - Vomitous Victuals
• P2711 - Prudence Not Panic
• P2809 - Love Triangles

And that's just February!  March promises to be another great month, so check it out for yourself at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.

Today, I'm focusing on (and memorizing) the Proverb that says, "The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin (Proverbs 10:8)."  It's reminded me of a ministry situation that I encountered about a year ago, which was very challenging at the time, though now I'd say is quite amusing in retrospect.  I wrote about the whole experience over at Proverbs 365, but I thought that today's entry might be especially interesting to regular readers of this blog, so I'm going to include a tease (an excerpt) here below:

...The Chattering Fool is dangerous, but unfortunately all too common.  I distinctly remember meeting a young man, about a year ago, who perfectly fit the caricature of the Chattering Fool -- and it was a frightening experience that will always haunt me.  Let's call him "California Ryan," for the sake of this story.  He had just moved to Amsterdam, in his early 20s, in an attempt to break his addictions to marijuana and crystal meth (Don't ask why he picked Amsterdam, of all places, to attempt such a recovery!).  He was lean and nervous, like you might expect from a recovering addict.  He had a vague, pencil-thin mustache and always wore a baseball cap.  He talked with a lot of "dude"s and "like"s and other classic Californianisms.  But his most remarkable -- most inescapable characteristic was his incessant chattering.  Seriously, like, the Dude never - stopped - talking...

To see how the situation resolved itself, you're going to have to pop on over to Proverbs 365. :-)  If the obvious cross-promotional ploy is offensive to you, I apologize.  But I'm enjoying the Proverbs 365 experience immensely, and I thought maybe I'd help you to do the same thing, too.

Do you remember that whole thing about February being an ideal month for a four-week trial period?  Well, perhaps you might be interested to consider a four-week trial period "subscription" to my Proverbs 365 project -- now starting its second month of publication and picking up steam as it goes... I've been getting so much out of this study already, and I seriously feel like it's getting better and better as time goes on.

I thought it might be interesting to highlight three of my personal favorites from the first month of the project -- just to give you the chance to get a taste of what it's like.

Perhaps my personal favorite up to this point has been Proverbs 16:32, which I wrote about in my post P1632 - Tribal Chant for Patience.  The verse itself says, "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." But this verse took on a much greater significance when I happened to be meditating about it on a trans-Atlantic flight, being the sole adult guardian of two of my children for a very, very long day of long lines and frustrating circumstances!  This was basically the scenario:  "One of them spills an entire cup of apple juice over herself and then sits there crying and shivering in the cold.  You've made the world's dumbest wardrobe choice for an 8-hour trans-continental flight while seated between two small children:  a white, long-sleeved shirt.  Still, you take off the shirt and drape your daughter in it so she can warm up again -- only to see it become flecked and drizzled with barbecue sauce and strawberry jam during lunch.  A horrible head-ache sets in.  And there are still 10 hours of travel-time ahead of you... " It was quite the day.  But this Proverb proved to be a life-saver (not just for me, but for my two oldest children as well!).  Click on the link above or below to read the rest of the story...

A second personal favorite can be found on my post from the 15th of the month:  P1513 - Can You Find your Happy Heart? I was reflecting on Proverbs 15:13, where it says, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit," and it reminded me of a recurring question that I've often considered for myself, for my family, and for people from my church.  Basically, it comes down to the realization that  "Our attitudes are not as objective or automatic as we often think them to be.  They have a lot to do with what we make of them." I had some really pathetic pity-parties for myself last month, and this Proverb really helped me to reset my thinking patterns.  And this post in particular also came in handy when I was put on the spot at a recent story-telling event at the Mezrab Art Cage, here in Amsterdam. :-)  Anyway, click on one of the links to read more about this particular Proverb...

Thirdly and finally, I might recommend P2313 - To Withhold or to Provide as a third sample of the first month of Proverbs 365.  I'm always happy to hear other people remark about how pleasant and polite our children can be -- yet, while I certainly agree that they're pretty special kids, I know better than to think that they're naturally predisposed to kindness and obedience.  Truth is:  they're sinners, just like the rest of us.  Through the years, Marci and I have had to learn and apply the truth of Proverbs 23:13-14:  "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.  Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death." And for any other parents out there, I might suggest that this verse is pivotal for establishing a healthy understanding of child discipline.  How can one do this, in a societal context where a physical rod is considered brutal, abusive, and even illegal?  You'll have to read the post to find out some of my thoughts on this question...

For a more comprehensive listing of the first month's content, here are the titles of the first 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the contact:

• Introduction to Proverbs 365
• P117 - The Antidote to Idiocy
• P245 - Questing Repurposed
• P327 - The Power of a Moment
• P401 - Father Knows Best
• P534 - Death in Your Pants
• P668 - Ants Are Awesome
• P718 - Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come for You?
• P822 - Primordial Wisdom
• P913 - Drunken British Hooligans
• P1019 - Enough Said
• P1121 - Solomon's Assurance
• P1210 - Cousins and Cats
• P1304 - Dreams and Determination
• P1426 - Priorities
• P1513 - Can You Find your Happy Heart?
• P1632 - Tribal Chant for Patience
• P1705 - Oh Pat...
• P1809 - Slackadaisical
• P1908 - Basic Soul Care
• P2005 - Drawing In-Laws (Among Others) Out
• P2120 - Choice Food and Oil
• P2211 - Positive, Poised, and Prosperous
• P2313 - To Withhold or to Provide?
• P2411 - Staggering Toward Slaughter
• P2526 - Dog Crap in the Ice Water
• P2609 - Safe Word:  Thornbush
• P2714 - The Crazy Christian Radio Lady and Me
• P2813 - The Gospel According to Solomon
• P2918 - Revelation
• P3001 - The Cry of a Weary Heart
• P3110 - Marci Appreciation Day

And that's just January!  I've been working one month ahead of schedule in order to allow for regular posting of the devotional thoughts, currently set for publication at around 8:00 in the morning (Amsterdam time) each day -- and I seriously feel like February is even better than January (and pretty significantly better, actually!).  So I would encourage you to join with me, in studying through the Proverbs, during this perfect four-week trial period that we call "February 2010."  In addition to continuing to find fresh inspiration from the Proverbs every day, I've decided that I'm also going to memorize 3 individual Proverbs (i.e. a single verse or small cluster of verses containing a single thought) per week -- at least for the month of February (thus 12 Proverbs in all).  I'm excited to see what will come of that discipline, as well.  There's a lot of amazing stuff to be learned from marinating in the Proverbs...

Please let me know if you have any thoughts about how to make the Proverbs 365 experience even more valuable -- or even if you just want to let me know that you're also following along.  You can find all the latest updates at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.

I've now officially completed the first full week of my Proverbs 365 project (and am already a couple of days into the second week).  Already, I'm feeling quite enriched by the study, and I thought that maybe I'd mention it again in the hopes that it might enrich your life as well...

Here's the basic idea of how it's working:  for every day of 2010, I'm committing to reading one chapter of Proverbs.  On the 1st day of the month, I'm reading from the 1st chapter of Proverbs; on the 9th day of the month, I'm reading from the 9th chapter; the 11th on the 11th, the 26th on the 26th, and so on.  Thus, by the end of 2010, I will have read through the book of Proverbs 12 times.  In addition to the general reading of a chapter each day, I go into each reading with a sense of prayer -- asking God to draw my attention to one specific Proverb (usually a single verse or two) for further and deeper consideration, meditation, and application for that day.  After choosing one particular Proverb for that particular day, I write up my reflections on that Proverb -- relating the core themes of the Proverb to personal anecdotes, cross-referencing other parts of the Bible, or posing questions on points that perplex me.  Just three or four paragraphs -- 500 words or so -- trying to blend the wisdom of the Proverbs into a contemporary context.  And in so doing, I should be able to finish the year not just with 12 general read-throughs but with 365 in-depth reflections on 365 individual Proverbs.

I decided to undertake the project for my own benefit.  But I'm also publishing the results on-line -- both for personal accountability and for extending the opportunity for others to join me in this pursuit.  You kind of have to see it for yourself, to really get a good idea of what it's all about.  But here's a brief synopsis of what I've covered over the course of the first week of the project:

In looking at the first chapter of Proverbs, I decided to focus on the first seven verses with my post P117 - The Antidote to Idiocy and talked about how the Proverbs played a critical role in my life during some very difficult years, just after moving to Amsterdam -- and how the Proverbs offer all of us a very valuable ticket on the train heading out of Cluelessness...

In my second post, P245 - Questing Repurposed, I mused on the bizarre cultural phenomenon of "Reality Television" and the ways that, for all its absurdity and its vices, it teaches us something critical about the human heart...

When I got to the third chapter of Proverbs, I was hit squarely between the eyes -- personally convicted by some old (ungodly) "pastor's tricks" that I've picked up on throughout the years.  I talk about these experiences in P327 - The Power of a Moment (and please accept my apologies if you've ever been the victim of the ol' "Wait and See" technique)...

Proverbs chapter 4, the inspiration for P401 - Father Knows Best, helped me to realize all of the ways that my father has blessed me with his wisdom throughout the years.  I talk about how our culture is no longer a traditional, patriarchal culture -- but that we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater...

As bold as it sounds, I now believe that every man needs to read the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of Proverbs once a month.  It's good for women, too, of course.  But it's a matter of life or death for men.  I talk about it in P534 - Death in Your Pants.

In P668 - Ants Are Awesome, I join in King Solomon's reverie for the natural wonder of ants.  I also found a very cool video clip that shows just how incredible ant society can be.  There also seem to be a lot of lessons for the church (and businesses, and governments, and all forms of social organization) today.

And on the final day of the first week of Proverbs 365, my reaction to the text is captured in the title, P718 - Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come for You? I think about all the dangers of life and love and fidelity -- and realize that it's actually a surprisingly healthy exercise to imagine what might happen, if ever confronted by a seductress in some back alleyway.

And that's just the first week.  Further information about the project and about how to subscribe to the project and follow along on your own is included in my Introduction to Proverbs 365 and in my previous posting to this space, 3 Days from 365 -- so give it a look.  And let me know if you're following along.  We had some technical issues with the commenting feature of the new blog at the beginning -- but those seem to be resolved now.   It looks like it's going to be a great year of growing wiser.

I am about to embark on a new blogging project, and I want to let you know about it.

I know, I know... some of you are probably thinking that I need a new blogging project just about as much as I need another hole in my head.  "Don't you already have enough on your hands?" would be a pretty logical question.  And yes, it's true that my life is plenty full.  But here's how it works in my mind:  I'm considering this project as much of a spiritual discipline as it is an electronic writing project.

So this is the project.  You could say that it's something of a new blog within my existing blog.  Starting with the new year (1 January 2010), I am going to be initiating this project that I'm calling "Proverbs 365" -- in which I will be going through one chapter of the Biblical Proverbs each day, choosing a single verse (or small cluster of verses) as a source of meditation and reflection, and then writing a short piece aimed at making one particular Proverb applicable and relevant to my daily life, living in 21st Century Western Culture.  As the name of the project suggests, I'm planning to do this not just one day -- but 365 days in a row.  One whole year of soaking in the Proverbs.

If you've read much in the way of Christian literature, you might be familiar with a devotional book by Oswald Chambers, entitled "My Utmost For His Highest."  Basically, this project is like that -- except electronic and purely based on the Proverbs. :-)

I'm actually really excited about the project, and while I realize thatit's a bit ambitious I also feel like it's really do-able andbeneficial for my own life.  I've actually already been following thisrhythm since the beginning of December (partly to evaluate itsdo-ability and partly to work one month ahead of my blogging"deadlines," allowing for regular posting even when I may fall behind acouple of days in my own reading and inevitably need to catch-up) --and I'm really excited about what's coming out of my readings already!

So anyway, if you're interested in learning more about this project -- and hopefully even following along a bit -- I would encourage you to visit the new Proverbs 365 section of my website.   I think it would be cool if you told others about the project as well (since part of my idea is to maybe turn this into a real book someday), so the website to pass along is http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.  Also, if you use an RSS feed reader, you can plug in the following URL to your feed-reader:  http://proverbs365.ericasp.com/?tempskin=_rss2 -- and on the first of January, the fun will begin!

Any feedback on these ideas would also be welcome!