Tirzah watched Rise of the Guardians quite awhile ago with her cousins while at her Grandma's house. I had never seen it and while I enjoyed the movie once I sat down to watch it I was not thrilled with how secular it was. Because of this I didn't want her to watch it again. She asked me a short time later if she could watch it again because she really liked it and I explained to her that I didn't want her to watch it again because they forget about Jesus in the movie. We talked about all of the places where Jesus should be in the movie and how he wasn't and she understood why I didn't want her to watch it again.
A few weeks ago she said to me, "Mommy, I can watch Jack Frost (that's what she calls it) even though they forget about Jesus because I won't forget about Jesus." I was kind of taken aback. How did my child get so discerning so quickly? And didn't she watch that like 6 months ago or more? How does she even remember it or the conversation we had about it? Kind of off the subject but her memory always amazes me.
Anyway, back to the point...I didn't really have anything to say to her. I wasn't sure how to respond because she was right, and with her incredibly logical and discerning mind I wasn't sure what the best course of action was. I couldn't just say no because in her world that simply wouldn't work. So I took a moment to pray and realized that my child is a lot like me and a lot like her Daddy, go figure. I always figured that as long as I knew the difference between reality and fantasy I didn't have a problem with watching fantasy because I knew the truth. And her Daddy is one who needs to sort out a problem for himself and is never satisfied with a pat answer. So, I told her that she could watch the movie again someday (we don't own it) and we could talk about it afterward and discuss where Jesus should be in the movie.
Fast forward, we are back in Federal Way and living with her Grandma again (another story for another post) and today she asked me if she could watch the movie again. I let her earn the privilege to watch it by cleaning her room and afterward we talked through the movie and what the lessons were and where Jesus should have been. She was very aware and she not only knew all of the places where Jesus was missing but also came up with some places that weren't so obvious.
I know that parenting can be very challenging and I know that parenting a child like mine is going to be particularly challenging but I feel like in this moment, with this situation, God definitely pointed me in the right direction. I know that every child is different and our next will have different needs and will probably look at the world in a completely different way. All I can do is pray that God continues to guide us in parenting our children according to their individual needs and personalities.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
What we've been up to, more or less...
So...Moses Lake. It's been an adjustment to say the least. We recently moved into a house which has made a HUGE difference in our lives. We are renting a beautiful 3 bedroom home with a backyard (yay!!) and Tirzah and our dogs our loving it. I am enjoying it as well. It's made a big difference in all of our attitudes. The best part for me (apart from more space) is that I don't have to go up and down three flights of stairs several times a day to take the dogs out. WooHoo!!
Jacob has been super busy the past few weeks with work and in spite of the hours and the stress he is still enjoying his job. Tirzah and I are hanging out and doing a lot of coloring these days. She is becoming quite the artist. She starts ballet on Monday and is super excited for that. Once I find all of the proper cords and whatnot I will post some pictures to go along with these posts ;)
My biggest complaint about this town? There isn't a decent restaurant anywhere!! The only place in town that we actually mostly enjoyed the food has terrible service (each and every time we've been there) and every other place we've tried is simply not worth spending money on. Jacob actually left a plate of food almost entirely uneaten at more than one place...that's saying something!! On a bright note, our wallet is enjoying this development.
I did find a fabulous little store that has some great decor and is quite enjoyable to wander around. I may end up decorating my entire house from this store ;) We are on the hunt for a church still. We tried one for awhile and ended up deciding that it wasn't the right fit for our family. I am the type to go to a church for awhile rather than a single Sunday simply because I don't believe you can get a real sense of a church without giving it some time. We met many wonderful people at the church we were attending but in the end we decided it just wasn't the right fit. Tirzah made a great friend (as did I) through that church though and they will probably be doing dance together as well as having playdates often so yay for that. :)
Okay, update done, next post will be much more interesting...really...I promise... :)
Jacob has been super busy the past few weeks with work and in spite of the hours and the stress he is still enjoying his job. Tirzah and I are hanging out and doing a lot of coloring these days. She is becoming quite the artist. She starts ballet on Monday and is super excited for that. Once I find all of the proper cords and whatnot I will post some pictures to go along with these posts ;)
My biggest complaint about this town? There isn't a decent restaurant anywhere!! The only place in town that we actually mostly enjoyed the food has terrible service (each and every time we've been there) and every other place we've tried is simply not worth spending money on. Jacob actually left a plate of food almost entirely uneaten at more than one place...that's saying something!! On a bright note, our wallet is enjoying this development.
I did find a fabulous little store that has some great decor and is quite enjoyable to wander around. I may end up decorating my entire house from this store ;) We are on the hunt for a church still. We tried one for awhile and ended up deciding that it wasn't the right fit for our family. I am the type to go to a church for awhile rather than a single Sunday simply because I don't believe you can get a real sense of a church without giving it some time. We met many wonderful people at the church we were attending but in the end we decided it just wasn't the right fit. Tirzah made a great friend (as did I) through that church though and they will probably be doing dance together as well as having playdates often so yay for that. :)
Okay, update done, next post will be much more interesting...really...I promise... :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Here we go again
I'm a super inconsistent blogger...and I'm okay with that. A lot has
happened in our lives since my last post. In fact, I'm not even sure
what my last post was. I didn't look. I vaguely recall it being an
update because I hadn't posted in awhile. Sounds kinda familiar :)
Okay, so here's what's up, the short version. Jacob graduated from the University of Washington School of Law WITH HONORS!! I'm so completely super proud of him...can you tell? ;)
Tirzah is 3!! Um, wow!! How did that happen? We had a great family camping trip to Seiku to celebrate Jacob's graduation, my birthday, and Tirzah's birthday. It was super fun, I caught my first salmon, and we are looking forward to another trip next year. Even my parents came!! :)
The biggest change? We moved to Eastern WA almost 2 weeks ago. Jacob was offered and accepted a position with a law firm here. We are super excited for the opportunity but I'll admit that it has been a challenge. Jacob has been busy and really enjoying his job. I'm excited for that. Tirzah and I have been trying really hard to find the fun everyday while working on unpacking and transitioning to apartment life (not easy...we miss our yard, and so do our animals) and I have not always had a ton of patience. It was kind of bad timing to move since most of the things we could get involved in (like MOPS, preschool, whatever) starts around the time that school starts. So we moved in the middle of August and have been sitting around waiting for things to start...waiting, and waiting, and trying to find some fun and make some friends...but mostly waiting :) It is trying my patience (which I usually have an extraordinary amount of) so I can only imagine how my energetic three year old is feeling.
A few days after we moved my beautiful baby girl picks up a dandelion, makes a wish, and blows. "I wish for more friends". Talk about breaking a Mama's heart!! I'm working on it, and praying about it. God has been faithful and I am hopeful. Things are looking up. We had lunch with a delightful woman who lives here (but is moving to Texas in November, leave it to me to make a friend who's leaving) in town. She has three children and knows lots of other mommies in the area so hopefully we'll make some more friends pretty soon.
In any case, here we are, with another new beginning. I guess the title still fits. Hopefully I won't wait so long before I post again. :)
Okay, so here's what's up, the short version. Jacob graduated from the University of Washington School of Law WITH HONORS!! I'm so completely super proud of him...can you tell? ;)
Tirzah is 3!! Um, wow!! How did that happen? We had a great family camping trip to Seiku to celebrate Jacob's graduation, my birthday, and Tirzah's birthday. It was super fun, I caught my first salmon, and we are looking forward to another trip next year. Even my parents came!! :)
The biggest change? We moved to Eastern WA almost 2 weeks ago. Jacob was offered and accepted a position with a law firm here. We are super excited for the opportunity but I'll admit that it has been a challenge. Jacob has been busy and really enjoying his job. I'm excited for that. Tirzah and I have been trying really hard to find the fun everyday while working on unpacking and transitioning to apartment life (not easy...we miss our yard, and so do our animals) and I have not always had a ton of patience. It was kind of bad timing to move since most of the things we could get involved in (like MOPS, preschool, whatever) starts around the time that school starts. So we moved in the middle of August and have been sitting around waiting for things to start...waiting, and waiting, and trying to find some fun and make some friends...but mostly waiting :) It is trying my patience (which I usually have an extraordinary amount of) so I can only imagine how my energetic three year old is feeling.
A few days after we moved my beautiful baby girl picks up a dandelion, makes a wish, and blows. "I wish for more friends". Talk about breaking a Mama's heart!! I'm working on it, and praying about it. God has been faithful and I am hopeful. Things are looking up. We had lunch with a delightful woman who lives here (but is moving to Texas in November, leave it to me to make a friend who's leaving) in town. She has three children and knows lots of other mommies in the area so hopefully we'll make some more friends pretty soon.
In any case, here we are, with another new beginning. I guess the title still fits. Hopefully I won't wait so long before I post again. :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Update
*Original post started in October 2010*
Wow, it's been awhile. Things have been crazy and I haven't had time to even update my facebook status lately much less write a blog. April to October is admittedly a long time but what can I say, when our life gets crazy the blog takes a back seat to my family :) So...what's been happening in our lives? We gave up our apartment in Idaho in May and decided to split our time during the summer between Jacob's mom and my parents. We were waiting to here from the schools that Jacob applied to for transfer. He ended up getting an internship in Tacoma with a law office and so we spend the bulk of the summer in WA. I went down to CA about a week before he did and we celebrated my birthday, Korey's birthday, Tirzah's 1st birthday, and my sister's bridal shower all in the same 4 days. That was a LOT of parties :) I can't believe my baby girl is already a year old. Wow!! She is almost 15 months as I write this and she is so full of life. She completely lights up my world and I can't imagine life without her.
So, after the CA trip we had a tough decision to make. We had gotten rejections from all of the schools that Jacob had applied to except for the University of Washington. We were really hoping for an acceptance there but we felt like we had to do the responsible thing so we moved back to Idaho and after 3 days in a hotel finally found an apartment. We were really worried for awhile there but we ended up finding a place we fell in love with. We decided to wait until the end of the week to move our stuff in because we were supposed to hear a final word from UW by Friday (school was supposed to start at Idaho on Monday). In the car on Thursday (or Wednesday, can't remember) we decided that we were content to be in Idaho and we would be happy regardless of the outcome. We got home and Jacob suddenly had the flu (like didn't even make it to the bathroom flu). About 10 minutes later his phone rang. It was the admissions guy from UW telling Jacob that he was in...wow!!! So we packed up our house (thank goodness for not unpacking or even getting everything out of the storage unit) and went to the managers of our apartment the next morning to try to get out of our lease. We were really worried that we would get stuck with the lease so we were hoping (and praying) that we would be able to get out of the lease even if we couldn't get any money back. We had used all of our savings to get settled in Idaho so we were obviously hoping that we'd get some of our money back but we certainly weren't counting on it. We ended up getting out of our lease and getting all but 4 days worth of rent of our money back...YAY!!!! That was awesome!! God is so good.
So we moved back to WA and...
...now it's March of 2011. I put this post on hold and once again, life took over :) Tirzah is now 19 months old and obsessed with letters, bows, and books (still). Jacob finished his first quarter at UW and did really well (I'm so proud of him). He has his first final of his second quarter on Monday so our house is very much a study zone right now. He is lining up a summer job (not sure yet what the final decision will be on that...still praying and waiting) and he is over half way done with law school...WOO HOO!!!! We have been living with his mom to help her out and it has been a blessed situation for all of us. It's not always easy to live with people, especially in-laws, but I couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law and it's been great to be able to help her out. I got a job as a server at a local restaurant and it's been nice to have some extra money as well as a chance to get out of the house without a child in tow :) Okay, I think that pretty much covers it right now as far as an update is concerned. Here is an absolutely adorable picture (or two) of my fabulously cute daughter (no bias here) and a picture of Jacob and me at my first ever Seahawks game (what a blast!!). More posts with more substance to come soon...life permitting :)
Wow, it's been awhile. Things have been crazy and I haven't had time to even update my facebook status lately much less write a blog. April to October is admittedly a long time but what can I say, when our life gets crazy the blog takes a back seat to my family :) So...what's been happening in our lives? We gave up our apartment in Idaho in May and decided to split our time during the summer between Jacob's mom and my parents. We were waiting to here from the schools that Jacob applied to for transfer. He ended up getting an internship in Tacoma with a law office and so we spend the bulk of the summer in WA. I went down to CA about a week before he did and we celebrated my birthday, Korey's birthday, Tirzah's 1st birthday, and my sister's bridal shower all in the same 4 days. That was a LOT of parties :) I can't believe my baby girl is already a year old. Wow!! She is almost 15 months as I write this and she is so full of life. She completely lights up my world and I can't imagine life without her.
So, after the CA trip we had a tough decision to make. We had gotten rejections from all of the schools that Jacob had applied to except for the University of Washington. We were really hoping for an acceptance there but we felt like we had to do the responsible thing so we moved back to Idaho and after 3 days in a hotel finally found an apartment. We were really worried for awhile there but we ended up finding a place we fell in love with. We decided to wait until the end of the week to move our stuff in because we were supposed to hear a final word from UW by Friday (school was supposed to start at Idaho on Monday). In the car on Thursday (or Wednesday, can't remember) we decided that we were content to be in Idaho and we would be happy regardless of the outcome. We got home and Jacob suddenly had the flu (like didn't even make it to the bathroom flu). About 10 minutes later his phone rang. It was the admissions guy from UW telling Jacob that he was in...wow!!! So we packed up our house (thank goodness for not unpacking or even getting everything out of the storage unit) and went to the managers of our apartment the next morning to try to get out of our lease. We were really worried that we would get stuck with the lease so we were hoping (and praying) that we would be able to get out of the lease even if we couldn't get any money back. We had used all of our savings to get settled in Idaho so we were obviously hoping that we'd get some of our money back but we certainly weren't counting on it. We ended up getting out of our lease and getting all but 4 days worth of rent of our money back...YAY!!!! That was awesome!! God is so good.
So we moved back to WA and...
...now it's March of 2011. I put this post on hold and once again, life took over :) Tirzah is now 19 months old and obsessed with letters, bows, and books (still). Jacob finished his first quarter at UW and did really well (I'm so proud of him). He has his first final of his second quarter on Monday so our house is very much a study zone right now. He is lining up a summer job (not sure yet what the final decision will be on that...still praying and waiting) and he is over half way done with law school...WOO HOO!!!! We have been living with his mom to help her out and it has been a blessed situation for all of us. It's not always easy to live with people, especially in-laws, but I couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law and it's been great to be able to help her out. I got a job as a server at a local restaurant and it's been nice to have some extra money as well as a chance to get out of the house without a child in tow :) Okay, I think that pretty much covers it right now as far as an update is concerned. Here is an absolutely adorable picture (or two) of my fabulously cute daughter (no bias here) and a picture of Jacob and me at my first ever Seahawks game (what a blast!!). More posts with more substance to come soon...life permitting :)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Oh to be pruned...
...every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
- John 15:2b
As my husband and I were reading in John last night for Good Friday this verse and this concept really stuck with me and is still with me tonight. I've been thinking a lot about the death and resurrection of Christ as is natural for most Christians during Holy Week and especially on Easter weekend. However, I think even more than His death and resurrection I've been contemplating His work...His life...His mission in this world and in you and me. Obviously the resurrection of Christ was the culmination of His ministry here on earth and was the reason He came to earth in the first place. He came to bridge the gap; to make it possible for us to be in relationship with the Father. The passage about Jesus being the vine, the Father being the vinedresser, and us being the branches is all about that. It is about abiding in Christ and thus in the Father and learning to live life as one with Christ. But it is more than that, as verse 2b shows us. We cannot simply say that we are Christians and now our lives will be happy and wonderful all the time and go on our merry way. No. When we choose to abide in Christ we are taking on a new life, a new identity, and we are saying that we are no longer willing to conform to the image of the world but rather we want to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We want to be more like Christ.
If we are to call ourselves Christians then we MUST bear fruit. The fruit of a person's life is the evidence of Christ in them and working through them. If there isn't any fruit then something is wrong. If someone claims Christ but you never see Christ in them then I would question the authenticity of their claim.
Jacob and I once did an excercise on a road trip that we decided is something we should do every so often to keep us in check. We went through the fruits of the spirit in each other to see where we were bearing fruit and where we needed to be pruned (although we didn't call it that at the time, that is a result of my reading last night). We went through each fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control) and spoke with each other candidly about how we felt these things were being evidenced in our own lives and in each others lives. We also took the time to look at each of our close family members so that we could more specifically pray for each of them. We have been given a guideline that very clearly shows whether or not we are truly abiding in Christ and if we (as Christians) take the time to look deeply enough we will find some areas where we thought we were doing well but in reality we need some serious work.
After reading last night I started to think about the process of being pruned. Christ says that in order to bear more fruit we must be pruned. Pruning is not pleasant, but it is necessary. Parts of you are literally cut off in order to make room for better things. Not pleasant. My mom prunes her roses several times a year. She goes out and cuts off all of the dead stuff in order to make room for new growth. Here's the kicker though...she has to cut past the dead and into some of the live stuff. You can't simply cut off the eyesore, the wilted pieces, the dead blooms. No, you must go deeper. You have to cut to the quick. You have to get down to where there is life again so that new growth can come and flourish. In other words, you have to bleed a little.
Christ calls us to abide in Him and to let the Father prune us so that we can grow and bear more fruit. He calls us to bleed a little, or sometimes a lot. When I was in high school my youth pastor used an analogy that has stuck with me. He said that there are two methods that God uses to effect change in our lives: the Jergens method and the Machete method. The Jergens method is nice, and slow, and not too tough to go through. Over time God will simply soften us, rub out the callouses with lots of lotion if you will. Sometimes though, we are just a little too thick for that. Sometimes God has to do something drastic to get through to us. That is where the Machete method comes in. Every now and then God will come along and chop off a limb in order to get our attention. I much prefer the Jergens method...
I don't think this post is flowing very well because I'm literally just typing what I'm thinking as I'm thinking it (verbal processor here) so I hope you are still with me...if you're still reading :)
As much as I don't like being pruned, I do desire more than anything to grow and bear fruit. I am not content to simply be. I am not content to call myself a Christian but fail to live my life as to be worthy of that calling (since I can call myself a Christian all I want but I'm not actually a Christian if I don't live a Christian life...I don't believe in fire insurance. But that's a whole other topic that I'll probably blog about someday). If I am not changing then I am not abiding and I want nothing more than to abide in Christ. I have lived in the Jergens method and I have certainly had my Machete moments and events. I think that I would take the analogy a little further though. I think that Jergens is an ongoing daily thing. It is us asking God to keep our eyes and hearts open to Him and to His people. It is us praying fervently to always be willing to lend a hand, go somewhere new, and love everyone we come into contact with...everyone (that's a hard one for me sometimes). The Machete on the other hand is something that is necessary sometimes and it cuts us fast, hard, and deep. It will probably only happen a select few times in your life and you will likely be able to pinpoint each of those moments and events and say, "God used that to get through to me in a big way." Those will be the moments where your faith rocketed forward to a new level and you found yourself in deeper relationship with Christ than you had ever been before. Those are the events that get your faith to a level that you would never have reached were it not for the machete.
The reason I would take this analogy further is that sometimes we need more than lotion but less than a machete. Sometimes we need pruning sheers. Pruning sheers are more precise. They are more targeted. The Machete cuts to the roots, but the pruning shears...they simply cut to the quick. They help to isolate each part of us that needs to be cut away in order to make room for something new, something much more Christ-like. With each snip and cut we are laid a little more bare. We bleed a little every time God takes the shears to us and we feel just a little more exposed. If we are truly abiding, as Christ calls us to, then we are making ourselves vulnerable to Him, and sometimes that is a little scary to some of us (i.e. me). If I make myself vulnerable then I have to admit each and every one of my shortcomings, my imperfections, my sins, so that God can cut them away one by one to make room for His beauty to shine through. Beauty for ashes...it sounds nice, but it isn't easy. It stings. It's uncomfortable and it's messy and it's hard and it's every single day...
- John 15:2b
As my husband and I were reading in John last night for Good Friday this verse and this concept really stuck with me and is still with me tonight. I've been thinking a lot about the death and resurrection of Christ as is natural for most Christians during Holy Week and especially on Easter weekend. However, I think even more than His death and resurrection I've been contemplating His work...His life...His mission in this world and in you and me. Obviously the resurrection of Christ was the culmination of His ministry here on earth and was the reason He came to earth in the first place. He came to bridge the gap; to make it possible for us to be in relationship with the Father. The passage about Jesus being the vine, the Father being the vinedresser, and us being the branches is all about that. It is about abiding in Christ and thus in the Father and learning to live life as one with Christ. But it is more than that, as verse 2b shows us. We cannot simply say that we are Christians and now our lives will be happy and wonderful all the time and go on our merry way. No. When we choose to abide in Christ we are taking on a new life, a new identity, and we are saying that we are no longer willing to conform to the image of the world but rather we want to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We want to be more like Christ.
If we are to call ourselves Christians then we MUST bear fruit. The fruit of a person's life is the evidence of Christ in them and working through them. If there isn't any fruit then something is wrong. If someone claims Christ but you never see Christ in them then I would question the authenticity of their claim.
Jacob and I once did an excercise on a road trip that we decided is something we should do every so often to keep us in check. We went through the fruits of the spirit in each other to see where we were bearing fruit and where we needed to be pruned (although we didn't call it that at the time, that is a result of my reading last night). We went through each fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control) and spoke with each other candidly about how we felt these things were being evidenced in our own lives and in each others lives. We also took the time to look at each of our close family members so that we could more specifically pray for each of them. We have been given a guideline that very clearly shows whether or not we are truly abiding in Christ and if we (as Christians) take the time to look deeply enough we will find some areas where we thought we were doing well but in reality we need some serious work.
After reading last night I started to think about the process of being pruned. Christ says that in order to bear more fruit we must be pruned. Pruning is not pleasant, but it is necessary. Parts of you are literally cut off in order to make room for better things. Not pleasant. My mom prunes her roses several times a year. She goes out and cuts off all of the dead stuff in order to make room for new growth. Here's the kicker though...she has to cut past the dead and into some of the live stuff. You can't simply cut off the eyesore, the wilted pieces, the dead blooms. No, you must go deeper. You have to cut to the quick. You have to get down to where there is life again so that new growth can come and flourish. In other words, you have to bleed a little.
Christ calls us to abide in Him and to let the Father prune us so that we can grow and bear more fruit. He calls us to bleed a little, or sometimes a lot. When I was in high school my youth pastor used an analogy that has stuck with me. He said that there are two methods that God uses to effect change in our lives: the Jergens method and the Machete method. The Jergens method is nice, and slow, and not too tough to go through. Over time God will simply soften us, rub out the callouses with lots of lotion if you will. Sometimes though, we are just a little too thick for that. Sometimes God has to do something drastic to get through to us. That is where the Machete method comes in. Every now and then God will come along and chop off a limb in order to get our attention. I much prefer the Jergens method...
I don't think this post is flowing very well because I'm literally just typing what I'm thinking as I'm thinking it (verbal processor here) so I hope you are still with me...if you're still reading :)
As much as I don't like being pruned, I do desire more than anything to grow and bear fruit. I am not content to simply be. I am not content to call myself a Christian but fail to live my life as to be worthy of that calling (since I can call myself a Christian all I want but I'm not actually a Christian if I don't live a Christian life...I don't believe in fire insurance. But that's a whole other topic that I'll probably blog about someday). If I am not changing then I am not abiding and I want nothing more than to abide in Christ. I have lived in the Jergens method and I have certainly had my Machete moments and events. I think that I would take the analogy a little further though. I think that Jergens is an ongoing daily thing. It is us asking God to keep our eyes and hearts open to Him and to His people. It is us praying fervently to always be willing to lend a hand, go somewhere new, and love everyone we come into contact with...everyone (that's a hard one for me sometimes). The Machete on the other hand is something that is necessary sometimes and it cuts us fast, hard, and deep. It will probably only happen a select few times in your life and you will likely be able to pinpoint each of those moments and events and say, "God used that to get through to me in a big way." Those will be the moments where your faith rocketed forward to a new level and you found yourself in deeper relationship with Christ than you had ever been before. Those are the events that get your faith to a level that you would never have reached were it not for the machete.
The reason I would take this analogy further is that sometimes we need more than lotion but less than a machete. Sometimes we need pruning sheers. Pruning sheers are more precise. They are more targeted. The Machete cuts to the roots, but the pruning shears...they simply cut to the quick. They help to isolate each part of us that needs to be cut away in order to make room for something new, something much more Christ-like. With each snip and cut we are laid a little more bare. We bleed a little every time God takes the shears to us and we feel just a little more exposed. If we are truly abiding, as Christ calls us to, then we are making ourselves vulnerable to Him, and sometimes that is a little scary to some of us (i.e. me). If I make myself vulnerable then I have to admit each and every one of my shortcomings, my imperfections, my sins, so that God can cut them away one by one to make room for His beauty to shine through. Beauty for ashes...it sounds nice, but it isn't easy. It stings. It's uncomfortable and it's messy and it's hard and it's every single day...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Addict
UPDATE: In response to a comment made below...
Rachel Ann,
First let me say that your response was not offensive in the least. Just wanted to reassure you :)
Second, you have totally hit the nail on the head. I think you've managed to express what was rumbling around in my head much better than I did or could at the moment because I hadn't quite gotten as far as this with my process yet. After my initial post I got to thinking a little more about what I had written and how I was feeling and I started to wonder the same thing about breaking bread and community. I started thinking about communion and the early church especially and how everytime Christians would meet together they would partake in communion and break bread together to not only remember but also to enter into true fellowship. Meals are meant as a means to fellowship. That is where we have gone astray, and that is what you have so eloquently reminded me (and anyone else who is reading this) of, among other things. Thank you for organizing my thoughts for me faster than I was able to :) And thank you for reminding me (although you probably didn't realize you did this) that my Biblical Studies degree can still serve a purpose in my everyday life even if I am not pursuing higher education at the moment because I know Jewish history and culture and I am able to dig in and understand (or at least try to) the finer points of the Bible and it can shed light on even my everyday quandries. Sometimes I let myself forget that I have these capabilities and I simply wander around in my seeming darkness without reminding myself that I have the means to turn on the light. Thank you for reminding me of that. I think tomorrow's dinner will be served at the table rather than on the couch (I know, sad right?).
ORIGINAL POST:
I feel like food rules my life (and the lives of so many others). Think about it for a minute, seriously. When something good happens we (or at least I) want to celebrate by going out to eat or making something really yummy that I don't eat very often. When something bad happens, I want to eat "comfort" food (different for everyone but always comforting, for about 1/2 an hour and then I just regret eating it). I eat when I'm happy, sad, bored, angry, etc. Food even rules my life when I'm busy because I forget to eat and then I get really grumpy because my blood sugar is so low and then I remember that I need to eat but by then I'm not really hungry so I have to figure out what to eat and the whole process ends up making me more grumpy until I actually eat and then I just want to eat more.
It's not like I'm morbidly obese and all I ever do is eat. That isn't the point. The point is that I don't want food to play that big of a role in my life. I don't want food to be the first thing I think about for any event or circumstance that comes up. I don't want the first thing I do when I'm bored to be going and opening the fridge looking for something to eat when I'm not even hungry (and then doing it again 5 minutes later). I don't want to eat because I'm mad that I just ate whatever it is that I just ate (that one's a killer and sooooo freaking stupid...go figure). I spend entirely too much time thinking about food. I don't even necessarily eat that much, but I think about food all the time and it's really frustrating.
Why can't we celebrate something by going for a walk or seeing a movie or ANYTHING else but eating? Why can't we console ourselves with a good book, or country music? :) Why does it always have to be food?
I love to cook. I don't want to stop cooking by any means. I love to try new recipes and I love to make old favorites. I love being in the kitchen (minus the clean up) and I will probably always love it, but I don't want to be in the kitchen simply because I'm feeling slightly emotional. I want to be in the kitchen because it's time for dinner.
Not everyone feels this way, but I know a lot of people out there do. It just occurred to me the other day when my husband finished his final paper for Legal Writing. The first thing we wanted to do to celebrate was eat something. WHY? What has happened to the world that food is the focus of every occassion? Parties are all about what is being served, vacations are all about what restaurants you try...even theme parks are about the churros and pretzels and cotton candy and frozen lemonade. It's not that other things aren't important too (like the rides for intsance), it's just that food is always such a big deal and I am getting really sick of it. I don't want food to be the first thing I think about for everything...or anything for that matter. I mean, half of my memories of things are of the food...how sad is that?
This is really rambly (not a word but oh well) and probably not making sense anymore. I'm just frustrated with it all. Every time old friends are going to catch up it's over lunch. Lunch isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong. I just don't understand why food has become so all encompassing. I probably wouldn't care if I didn't have weight I was trying to lose. I probably wouldn't care if I didn't eat like crap when I felt crappy making myself feel even crappier. I probably wouldn't care at all if I had money to go out when I wanted to and didn't mind that I don't look the way that I want to and am struggling at this point to get where I want to go with my weight. But I do care, and come to think of it this is not the first time I've been bothered by how much food has taken over our lives.
I'm an emotional eater (as evidenced by the first paragraph of this post). I'll admit it. For all intents and purposes I'm an addict. The only problem is, the thing that I'm addicted to is something I cannot cut out of my life and something that rules most people's lives without them even realizing it. So now what?
Rachel Ann,
First let me say that your response was not offensive in the least. Just wanted to reassure you :)
Second, you have totally hit the nail on the head. I think you've managed to express what was rumbling around in my head much better than I did or could at the moment because I hadn't quite gotten as far as this with my process yet. After my initial post I got to thinking a little more about what I had written and how I was feeling and I started to wonder the same thing about breaking bread and community. I started thinking about communion and the early church especially and how everytime Christians would meet together they would partake in communion and break bread together to not only remember but also to enter into true fellowship. Meals are meant as a means to fellowship. That is where we have gone astray, and that is what you have so eloquently reminded me (and anyone else who is reading this) of, among other things. Thank you for organizing my thoughts for me faster than I was able to :) And thank you for reminding me (although you probably didn't realize you did this) that my Biblical Studies degree can still serve a purpose in my everyday life even if I am not pursuing higher education at the moment because I know Jewish history and culture and I am able to dig in and understand (or at least try to) the finer points of the Bible and it can shed light on even my everyday quandries. Sometimes I let myself forget that I have these capabilities and I simply wander around in my seeming darkness without reminding myself that I have the means to turn on the light. Thank you for reminding me of that. I think tomorrow's dinner will be served at the table rather than on the couch (I know, sad right?).
ORIGINAL POST:
I feel like food rules my life (and the lives of so many others). Think about it for a minute, seriously. When something good happens we (or at least I) want to celebrate by going out to eat or making something really yummy that I don't eat very often. When something bad happens, I want to eat "comfort" food (different for everyone but always comforting, for about 1/2 an hour and then I just regret eating it). I eat when I'm happy, sad, bored, angry, etc. Food even rules my life when I'm busy because I forget to eat and then I get really grumpy because my blood sugar is so low and then I remember that I need to eat but by then I'm not really hungry so I have to figure out what to eat and the whole process ends up making me more grumpy until I actually eat and then I just want to eat more.
It's not like I'm morbidly obese and all I ever do is eat. That isn't the point. The point is that I don't want food to play that big of a role in my life. I don't want food to be the first thing I think about for any event or circumstance that comes up. I don't want the first thing I do when I'm bored to be going and opening the fridge looking for something to eat when I'm not even hungry (and then doing it again 5 minutes later). I don't want to eat because I'm mad that I just ate whatever it is that I just ate (that one's a killer and sooooo freaking stupid...go figure). I spend entirely too much time thinking about food. I don't even necessarily eat that much, but I think about food all the time and it's really frustrating.
Why can't we celebrate something by going for a walk or seeing a movie or ANYTHING else but eating? Why can't we console ourselves with a good book, or country music? :) Why does it always have to be food?
I love to cook. I don't want to stop cooking by any means. I love to try new recipes and I love to make old favorites. I love being in the kitchen (minus the clean up) and I will probably always love it, but I don't want to be in the kitchen simply because I'm feeling slightly emotional. I want to be in the kitchen because it's time for dinner.
Not everyone feels this way, but I know a lot of people out there do. It just occurred to me the other day when my husband finished his final paper for Legal Writing. The first thing we wanted to do to celebrate was eat something. WHY? What has happened to the world that food is the focus of every occassion? Parties are all about what is being served, vacations are all about what restaurants you try...even theme parks are about the churros and pretzels and cotton candy and frozen lemonade. It's not that other things aren't important too (like the rides for intsance), it's just that food is always such a big deal and I am getting really sick of it. I don't want food to be the first thing I think about for everything...or anything for that matter. I mean, half of my memories of things are of the food...how sad is that?
This is really rambly (not a word but oh well) and probably not making sense anymore. I'm just frustrated with it all. Every time old friends are going to catch up it's over lunch. Lunch isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong. I just don't understand why food has become so all encompassing. I probably wouldn't care if I didn't have weight I was trying to lose. I probably wouldn't care if I didn't eat like crap when I felt crappy making myself feel even crappier. I probably wouldn't care at all if I had money to go out when I wanted to and didn't mind that I don't look the way that I want to and am struggling at this point to get where I want to go with my weight. But I do care, and come to think of it this is not the first time I've been bothered by how much food has taken over our lives.
I'm an emotional eater (as evidenced by the first paragraph of this post). I'll admit it. For all intents and purposes I'm an addict. The only problem is, the thing that I'm addicted to is something I cannot cut out of my life and something that rules most people's lives without them even realizing it. So now what?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Yummy Lasagna!!
UPDATED: I made this again and although I had already reduced the salt in the original recipe I think it still might have a little more salt than some people would like so I suggest using only 1 tsp (rather than 1 1/4) with the meat. It will probably be more universally enjoyed that way as far as the salt is concerned and for those in the world (like my husband) who can never have enough salt they can salt their own piece if they want :)
ORIGINAL POST:
I made a FABULOUS lasagna last night for dinner and thought I'd share the recipe (at the request of my lovely sister-in-law). Believe it or not I got the recipe off of the lasagna noodles box but I changed it just slightly. This recipe is super easy and super healthy. It's packed with protein and quite possibly the best lasagna I've ever eaten (not to toot my own horn, seriously, I was so surprised and pleased when we started eating). So, without further ado:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (I used ground sirloin with only 10% fat...better I think)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (I have pre-minced garlic in my fridge because I cook with it a lot so I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons...I like garlic :))
- 1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
- 1 Tbsp. basil
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz...I think. Drain a little bit of the fluid out from the can)
- 2 (6 oz.) cans of tomato paste
- 1 box whole wheat lasagna (I used Hodgson Mill)
- 16 oz. 4% large curd cottage cheese
- 8 oz. 2% small curd cottage cheese
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (fresh rather than dry...I purchased the pre-packaged flakey kind)
- 1 lb. 1/3 less fat Mozzarella cheese
Brown meat slowly; add next six ingredients to meat. Simmer uncovered about 1/2 hour (stirring occasionally...it won't be super juicy so simmer is perhaps not the best word but you get the idea).
Cook lasagna noodles according to cooking instructions and rinse with cold water.
Combine cottage cheese with next five ingredients. Place 1/2 noodles in 13x9x2 inch baking dish; spread 1/2 cheese mixture over noodles, 1/2 of meat mixture, and 1/2 of mozzarella. Repeat layers.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. ENJOY!! :)
ORIGINAL POST:
I made a FABULOUS lasagna last night for dinner and thought I'd share the recipe (at the request of my lovely sister-in-law). Believe it or not I got the recipe off of the lasagna noodles box but I changed it just slightly. This recipe is super easy and super healthy. It's packed with protein and quite possibly the best lasagna I've ever eaten (not to toot my own horn, seriously, I was so surprised and pleased when we started eating). So, without further ado:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (I used ground sirloin with only 10% fat...better I think)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (I have pre-minced garlic in my fridge because I cook with it a lot so I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons...I like garlic :))
- 1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
- 1 Tbsp. basil
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz...I think. Drain a little bit of the fluid out from the can)
- 2 (6 oz.) cans of tomato paste
- 1 box whole wheat lasagna (I used Hodgson Mill)
- 16 oz. 4% large curd cottage cheese
- 8 oz. 2% small curd cottage cheese
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (fresh rather than dry...I purchased the pre-packaged flakey kind)
- 1 lb. 1/3 less fat Mozzarella cheese
Brown meat slowly; add next six ingredients to meat. Simmer uncovered about 1/2 hour (stirring occasionally...it won't be super juicy so simmer is perhaps not the best word but you get the idea).
Cook lasagna noodles according to cooking instructions and rinse with cold water.
Combine cottage cheese with next five ingredients. Place 1/2 noodles in 13x9x2 inch baking dish; spread 1/2 cheese mixture over noodles, 1/2 of meat mixture, and 1/2 of mozzarella. Repeat layers.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. ENJOY!! :)
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