02.01.2010
  
Michael Fox CPCC,
founder of m·agine!,
is a professional
coach and trainer,
author and creative artist, whose work has been featured throughout
the world.

Michael is a
Certified Practitioner
of the
Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator.®

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Live out "laud"... 

I miss Lemon Grass.

 

Lemon Grass is quite possibly one of the finest restaurants in...well, it doesn't matter where. Lemon Grass in Sacramento, California is quite possibly one of the finest restaurants, period. Lemon Grass is such a fine restaurant that patrons routinely drive the hundred miles from San Francisco--an epicenter of fine dining--to savor its eclectic fusion of Vietnamese and Thai cuisines. It's my Happy Place. Open the door to the deceptively casual structure it calls home, and your olfactory senses will thank you.

 

Lemon Grass is home to Owner and Chef Mai Pham and is managed by Kate Griffin, a gracious woman who greets regular guests with a smile and a hug. Even those who have moved to Louisiana.

 

I miss Lemon Grass most on Friday and Saturday evenings.

 

It's on the weekend when Ms. Pham serves an exotic plate of three locally-grown, grilled lamb chops, modestly dressed in a lovely, slightly smokey, mushroom bordelaise sauce. (I don't care if you don't like mushrooms; I'm telling you, it just doesn't matter.) The lamb--many of which I'm convinced, sacrifice their lives in hope of being offered on the fire at Lemon Grass--is served with housemade garlic noodles and fresh, blanched Asian vegetables.

 

Oh my.

 

In the nearly twenty years that we have eaten at Lemon Grass, I have rarely ordered anything else. What's the point? And over the course of those twenty years, we have introduced countless family, friends, and the occasional stranger to Lemon Grass and my grilled lamb chops. And, quite frankly, I have become their hero.

 

Now why do I share?  

 

To live out laud. You see, my greatest joys in life--people, passions, the occasional paschal lamb (best when celebrated throughout the year!)--remain less than full until the moment my joy spills forth in undiluted praise.

 

And, strangely enough, Lemon Grass has helped me understand a rather curious behavior of my God. The Psalms are replete with God's invitation--nay, with God's commandment--to praise him; psalms such as this: "Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 117:1-2).

 

Now, in our culture, the demand for praise can be a tad off-putting. Really, now, what do you think of a man or a woman who freely invites your compliments?  

 

One of my favorite cinematic moments is from the movie Beaches. The irrepressible Bette Midler is lunching with her friend Debra Winger. Ms. Midler is talking and talking and talking--to no one's surprise--with great enthusiasm about herself. She is obviously enthralled by her subject. Finally, she stops, takes a deep breath, smiles large, and invites her friend to join her: "Well, enough about me! What about you? What do you think of me?"

 

What makes God's demand for praise any more tolerable than Bette Midler's?

 

Just this, methinks. I laud Lemon Grass for the joy it brings my senses, of both body and soul. And when God invites our praise, he actually invites us to be filled up with him. To find our delight in him until we can no longer contain it. And that, my friend, is why God longs for our praise. Our unfettered praise bears witness that we have tasted of his fulness. 

 

So, go ahead, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).  

 

And live out laud!

 

 

How is praise reflective of our heart's desire?

 

"What's the real invitation of Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart."

 

Michael Fox
m·agine!

530/613.2774
407 Myrtle Drive
Farmerville, LA, USA 71241  
In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m·agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models
--Values, Vision, Voice
and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength--

as well as
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® curriculum
published by CPP, the People Development People.

Michael's books include
 
Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook,
and Biblio·files.

Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.
For additional information, visit our website at maginethepossibilities.net.

Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.

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