Making Pictures

The Good News from Genesis

2012-01-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

Turns out this semester is going to be a lot of papers and reading and whatnot. Lots and lots of both on a weekly basis. And classroom presentations and such. So not a ton of time for me to make pictures and post them to the blog. But I will post a paper from time to time. So you don't forget about me.

Something to listen to while you read my paper for my Bible and Mission class (sorry for the formatting...or lack thereof).

In reading through the book of Genesis in a short amount of time, I noticed a few patterns that were evident throughout: “be fruitful and multiply,” sibling rivalry, the ways that God spoke to people, and God’s hand and presence in the lives of His people. In the lecture, it is apparent that the book of Genesis is the beginning of a grand story of God’s mission that began even before the fall of man: a “God with us” mission story that has three of its acts in the book of Genesis (creation, fall, and the beginning of the story of Israel). In this essay, I will look at the patterns that were evident to me in the book of Genesis, the lecture’s look at Genesis being the beginning of the story of God’s mission, and answer the question, “If the book of Genesis was the only book of the Bible that we had, what good news would we have about the relationship between God and His World?”

The blessing to “be fruitful and multiply” is given by God many times throughout the book of Genesis: once to His creatures in the sea and in the air, once to Adam and Eve, twice to Noah and his family, once to Abraham and Sarah in reference to Ishmael, and three times to Jacob (once via Isaac, and another time Jacob is recalling the story to Joseph). Two of these blessings were before the fall, and the rest after. God called His creation “good,” and blessed them to be able to multiply. It is evident that God has wanted to be in relationship with His creation, and for them to also be in good relationship with each other. In the lecture it says, “Mission is a part of the nature of God. We might say (as God later says of Adam) that it is not good for God “to be alone.” Mission should not be limited to fixing what is broken, because God’s mission of community and relationship was around long before the fall. In the lecture, Grant talks about how we were created in God’s image, and how it is our job to “to be God’s image in the world; [we are not to] abandon this representative mission to God’s creation.”

So while God’s (and our) mission is not first and foremost a fix-up mission, there are definitely elements of that when we consider the brokenness of relationships that occurred when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. I was struck by how many instances of sibling rivalry are documented throughout Genesis (Cain/Abel, Jacob/Esau, Perez/Zerah, Rachel/Leah, Joseph/his brothers...to name a few!). The closest relative one has, and one of the first communities a person is a part of, is a sibling. Throughout Genesis, we see how broken these relationships (and others) can be, but we also see a glimpse of God’s mission when they are redeemed (most touching for me were Jacob/Esau in Genesis 33 and Joseph/his brothers in 45).

More ways that we can see God’s desire of relationship with His people in Genesis is in how he interacts with them, and how his hand and presence are evident in their life. If Genesis were the only book of the Bible that we had available to us, we might not know the good news of how God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to save it. Grant put it so nicely in the lecture when he said, “God so loved the world that he did not remain aloof, but God himself came in the person of the Jesus...God is the missionary, the one who crosses cultures, giving up all the privileges of Godhead and becoming a servant (Phil 2:5–11).”

In Genesis, we might not know about Jesus, but we can see how much God loves His people, in the way that he speaks directly to them (either they hear His voice, or He sends a messenger, or He speaks to them in a dream, etc). Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden and Jacob wrestled with God. God even spoke to people in dreams that did not necessarily know him (Pharaoh). Even though the folks in Genesis did not have the man, Jesus, to be in close relationship with, they had a God who was very present in their lives. God’s hand is evident throughout the course of Joseph’s life, from allowing his mother to be pregnant with him, to keeping him safe in prison, to putting him the position to help his long-lost family during the great famine. In Genesis 45:4b-8 Joseph acknowledges this:

“And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.”

Even through all this brokenness, God works to keep Joseph’s family alive, to help preserve them, so that they can be fruitful and multiply, and know God’s presence in their lives, and His love for them.

So back to the question at hand, “If the book of Genesis was the only book of the Bible that we had, what good news would we have about the relationship between God and His World?” The good news about the relationship between God and His World is that God created the world so that we could be in relationship with Him. Even after sin entered the scene, and relationships across the board were broken, God still actively participates in the lives of His beloved people, continually bringing them back to Himself and each other. And we can see all of this happening in the book of Genesis.

Wednesday Tiredness

2012-01-18T19:08:00.001-05:00

Well it's my first evening off, and I just.want.to.go.to.bed. So sleepy. I am going to try to stay awake for a couple more hours though, so it doesn't mess up my sleeping schedule. Nothing useful about me waking up in the middle of the night, and then being sleepy again by 9am. I am in the middle (or just past the middle) of a week of an intensive class, Sex, Gender, and the Gospel. It is a good class, but my brain is tired, and my body is not used to being in class for so many hours a day (how on earth did I manage this in high school?). And my Bible study schedule for the semester is: Sunday night, Monday night, Tuesday night. I am grateful for all of these groups, but my weeks are going to be a bit top heavy from here on out.

Aren't you so glad that this blog isn't censored? You would be missing out on so many mundane details of my life!

Anyway, I've been having a bit of a 5/16-life-crisis (just one step up from a quarter-life-crisis. Math tells me I'm getting too old for quarter-life-crises). It's not that I don't know what I will be when I grow up (because I'm already there), but just so curious as to what is next.

Have I mentioned that I am graduating in May? Yep. I will be a Master of Religion (Christian History and Theology). What next, then?

Not sure. For me seminary was the goal, not the means to a goal (though I thought these two years would buy me some time to figure it out). I decided that in order to figure it out, I would do a little self-guidance-counseling and make a list of all the schools I've been to and jobs I've had since college began, and answer what I liked and disliked about each one, and see if there were any commonalities.

I decided not to do every detail as a blog post, but just do the results. Turns out, I am too tired to even finish the list of places with "like" and "dislike" under each one. So it might be awhile before I post/have the results.

Oh man, this post is so boring. Maybe I should go through and censor a few things to make it more interesting. I'm sure if you highlight the words, they will show up. Maybe. So I better not write anything too scandalous. Poopy.

Alright. Well, only have to try and stay awake for a couple more hours. Sorry that this post isn't thoughtful, funny, or inspirational. I haven't had time to make any soap, or take any pictures of soap. But I did get a haircut last week, so there's that.

Bob.

Here's what I could've posted about if I wasn't so tired:

1. How mad I am at Tyra Banks for still not telling us why Angelea got disqualified. I didn't even like her or want to know anything about her until she mysteriously disappeared off the show, so the joke's on you! Or maybe on me. Anyway, I was going to boycott watching America's Next Top Model until we (as a nation) were told why, but thanks to various SOPA blackouts, I can't figure out when the next cycle starts so that I can properly not watch it.

The lamest announcement of a winner ever:

Ok, this was a month and a half ago. I really haven't thought about it much in that time. But being it is Wednesday night, and I have some spare time here while I'm trying to stay awake, it is what I thought of.

2. The results of my self-guidance-counseloring.

3. How secretly I've been day-dreaming about various ways to live more simply, and how all this sopa/internet censorship is just adding to my evaluation of what sort of differences (for better and for worse) would naturally come about if I used the internet less.

A few things to get you through.

2012-01-10T14:20:00.000-05:00

1. Here are a few songs to listen to while you read. You are welcome.

2. Here's my latest from Twitter, if you aren't already into that kind of thing: Philippians 1:18 is what I think about whenever anyone brings up Tim Tebow, which is all the time. http://goo.gl/IvTyd

3. I need to go and get my ears checked. Not because I suspect that I have hearing loss, but because I know it. I've been putting it off for a while because: a) I am pretty good at lip reading, b) Hearing aids cost the same as a nice computer and are not covered by insurance, and c) I am pretty horrible about going to the doctor in general. Lately though, I feel I've been missing out on a lot of conversation details, and the constant ringing in my ears never fails to remind me that I probably should have an audiologist figure it out. This past summer a doctor prescribed some allergy medication to see if that would help me to hear better. I am not sure that it worked. The doctor never tested my ears in the first place to see what level my hearing was at, and then I never went back to get them checked again after a month of the medication (and really, what would they compare it to?). We were probably both at fault. Really though, I think I need to just go to a place that knows what they're talking about when it comes to hearing. In the meanwhile, here are some misconceptions that I would like to clear up.

a) People who are hard of hearing didn't hear you because they weren't paying attention. On the contrary, we probably pay twice as much attention just to be involved in a conversation. Especially a conversation with a group of people. Sometimes when someone laughs at me because they've been apparently talking to me/trying to get my attention for a little while, and I haven't heard them...sometimes I will say, "sorry, I wasn't paying attention," since they are clearly already feeling uncomfortable at this point. But really, I just didn't hear them because they didn't already have my attention (or were talking softly, or not speaking clearly, etc). Being bad at hearing is way different than being bad at listening.

b) People who didn't hear you must be dumb and not understand the content of what you were trying to say. Not true either. Dumb and smart have nothing to do with whether or not people can hear. Some people that can hear perfectly well are not so bright. Anyway, it is kind of insulting when you furrow your brow and say, "what?" and people start speaking in a slow, loud voice, dumbing down what they originally said....and some get confused when you simply ask for enunciation.

c) I am judging your snaggle-tooth and want you to cover your mouth when you speak. You wouldn't think this is a problem, but it is! Stop covering your mouth when you speak, people. If I can't read your lips, and you are already a soft talker, covering your mouth is not going to help me hear what you are trying to communicate. I don't care if your teeth are crooked. I'm looking at your mouth because I can't hear you, not because I am judging you.

d) People who can't hear must just need to clean their ears out. Well, that might be partially true. That certainly could be the cause of some people's hearing loss. But not everyone's. More than one doctor has remarked about how clean my ears are. Well, thank you for noticing. I clean them quite regularly because I don't want wax to block my already dull hearing. My hearing loss is likely hereditary, as a large percentage of people I am related to has a hearing aid. I almost never listen to music with headphones, or do anything else to cause my poor hearing. On the contrary, I try to preserve what little hearing I have, thank you very much.

Sorry. Just realized that this has become quite the rant. Just trying to raise awareness, people. And please don't look at me like I killed your grandmother's dog when I confess to you that sometimes I don't think it is worth saying "what?" and instead pretending like I know what's going on in the conversation. Sometimes it isn't worth it for someone else to get all frustrated because you can't hear them. And I've heard people talk about other people who can't hear, and how annoying it can be to communicate with them. Why would I want to bring that on myself?

Anyway, communication is a two-way street. I will go get my ears checked if you promise to speak clearly and look at me when you're talking (and to be more sensitive in general to those who can't hear).

4. It's that time of year, people. The time of year where I automatically start to think about where we will be living next fall and who our friends will be (if any) and which friends we will try to keep in touch with for a little while, and which friends will unfortunately slip through the cracks. Since we've been married, Steve and I have moved every two (school) years. We are now at the beginning of the second semester of our second (second) school year here at Geneva, and I've naturally started thinking about friendships. This is the time of year in Higher Education when people have to start making decisions about their future (the next school year). Will I stay here, or will I move on? And while we have no real plans to move on just yet, I still have to think these thoughts, because A) this has been our pattern, and I have had to think about this sort of things every two years, and B) as is the nature of working (or shacking up with someone who works) in Higher Education, even if we stay put, there is a really great chance that some of our good friends will be moving on and out. It happens every year. Which gets me to thinking about a profound speech I heard toward the end of my freshman year of college. It has really stuck with me all these years, probably because it is always always practical. The speech was on friendships, and how there are those who are "friends for the road," and those who are "friends for the journey." Friends for the road are those who are friends (close friends even, but not always) for a time. They are not necessarily lifelong friends, and that is ok. It does not diminish your friendship now, and its importance. You should not stop being friends with someone because you suspect that they might be friends for the road (though it is sometimes hard during this time of the year). Friends for the road are still important for now. You need them. They need you. Don't miss out on something good, even if it is probably temporary. It is ok to have seasonal friends. Friends for the journey are those lifelong types. The ones where, even if they live halfway across the world, you will both make a point to communicate with each other, and carve time out of your schedule to see them, even if it is only once or twice a year, or via skype. Sometimes, unfortunately, you can even lose touch with those who you thought were friends for the journey. Life just happens that way. Sometimes there are friends for the road that stay on the road with you for a little longer than others, and they can seem like friends for the journey. This analogy was much more beautiful when I heard it 10 (10!) years ago. But you get the gist. Anyway, this time of year, I start to wonder who my friends for the road are, and who my friends for the journey are. I hope that I don't give some friends for the road (or even those who are in it for the long haul) the shaft as we transition out of each other's lives. I will have to work extra hard to show my appreciation for their friendship, and wish them well in future endeavors. I don't know who this season's friends for the road and friends for the journey are yet. And that's ok. It's probably something that's better figured out in hindsight. Plus I don't want to diminish friendships with people who will also be sticking around for another year...and with those who we don't yet know. You never know when you will meet another wonderful friend.

5. Sorry for the snark, lately. I deleted a couple of posts that I thought were too snarky. Sorry if you liked them. And sorry for my snarkiness in #6 of my resolutions. If you don't want to follow me in a reader, that is your perogative. I should just be thankful that you take the time to think of me. So thank you for that. I still probably won't heavily promote my blog, if it's all the same to you. You can promote it, if you want though.

6. On a lighter note, I am getting a haircut tomorrow night! Woohoo!! For someone who loves getting haircuts as much as I do, I am a bit of an enigma (in the past few years I've only gone to get a haircut...twice a year tops). But it makes it a treat. Here are some of my ideas.

7. No new pictures, so you will have to settle for some old ones, made in Toronto's distillery district. I love red brick buildings with green doors.

Another resolution for 2012

2012-01-10T11:37:00.001-05:00

Just discovered/remembered this when I was looking for something else.

I'm for getting rid of tacky things I don't want. Bring it, 2012.

Soap Fail...I mean, Soap Lesson.

2012-01-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

I had my first soap failure the other day. Still not sure exactly what went wrong (everything, perhaps?). Anyway, I am choosing to learn from it. And show you some pictures so that you know that soap is not all fun and games (but mostly, it is).

I was super excited to make some red wine soap...mainly for the deep red color I imagined the soap would be, and so that I could say I made red wine soap.

I boiled the wine the night before (because the internets told me to), and then let it sit in the fridge overnight. Because lye would heat it up quickly, the internet said.

So the next afternoon, I've got all my ingredients measured out, oils mixed and lye in the wine. Lye in wine stinks. Bad. But that isn't what concerned me. What concerned me was the seemingly low temperature of the lye/wine mixture. It was like, 100F the first time I tested it (should have been well over that), and the oils were about that, too. Now, when you're making soap, you want everything to be about that temperature, but it usually isn't that quickly. Even as I type this, I wonder if it was a thermometer error.

Hold on.

I must go check.

....

Nope, they're fine.

So anyway, I double checked the temps, after sticking the oil in the microwave to warm it a bit, and taking the lye/wine out of the ice bath. They were a little better, but still seemingly lowish. Perhaps I was not patient enough, and did not wait for the thermometer to catch up?

Anyway, I decided to mix the two, and almost instantly there were lumps (Steve provided the word later: it looked curdled.), so I stirred a little bit more and decided that it was setting up wayyy too quickly, and stuck the stick blender in there to even things out (or so I thought). After a second of that, it was seeming so thick, so I went back to stirring with my spoon. It was looking very burnt orange, so I decided to add a little bit more wine to it, as an additive. For color. A second later I was pouring what looked like sloppy joes into my new soap mold (which happens to be a silicone baking dish for miniature loaves of bread. Works perfectly (this is my second batch of soap with this new mold, so I know it isn't the mold's fault. Plus, it's pretty obvious that it was a failure long before I poured the soap). Sloppy joes is not what soap should look like. It should be smoother, and more fluid. Thick still, but not chunky.

Ok. Here are the pictures. They are hideous. To make you (me) feel better, I've included a picture of the successful batch...which was more green tea, basil, and rosemary soap. Yum.

No, that's not apple crisp. An no, the corners are not supposed to be a different color/texture from the rest. But look at my beautiful silicone mini-loaf baking dish!

Popped the bars out and looked at the other side. Diseased soap.

At least it lathers. And you can't tell from the picture, but the suds were pink!

So I went to plan B, and decided I would try my hand at rebatching it, which is essentially shredding the soap, adding water and some heat, and then some oil, and then some more heat..stirring it up, and sticking it back into the mold. I am still contemplating two ideas for plan C.*

Looks like ground beef. Rest assured, it is soap.

Nyom nyom nyom.

A stack of hideous bars awaits its doom.

Anyone in the mood to grill?

Why is it still so ugly?

Ugh! And the texture is like....wax?

Some winning bars of soap, made from the new baking dish and an oatmeal container. The little ugly duckling in the bottom left corner is a pre-shredded chunk of wine soap that I spared.

In better news, I joined pinterest today! I am going to have to limit myself to only looking at it once a day. We shall see!

*Ideas for plan C: throw the whole mess out and try again. Or. Shred up the soap again and mix the shards into another batch of soap. I might have to wait awhile. The texture is still....weird. Or go with the first plan C.

My Favorites from 2011

2012-01-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks to stats, I can see how many people are reading the old blog from day to day, which posts they're reading, and what country they are in. The best part is seeing how they got to the blog (some funny google searches out there, people. Keep em coming). Anyway last March I did a post of my top ten most visited posts. I'm pretty sure Pause, for whatever reason is still number one by a landslide. It gets read weekly, and has, at this typing, been read 99 more times than the second place post.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun (for me) to go through and make a list of some of my favorites from 2011. Here they are, in chronological order:

1. A brief history of some of my people.

2. Some comparisons from my resume. My temporary residency with the Anglican church is almost up. I still feel out-of-place sometimes in chapel, but it is getting better (though still not ready to become a card-carrying member).

3. Thoughts on Lent. Over the summer, we went through this same passage every Sunday in church. Apparently it is a passage I need to keep going back to.

4. Some wintery pictures. It would be a shame to have a list of favorites that didn't contain many pictures.

5. I still like this illustration. I used it in at least one paper last semester.

6. A great idea for the name of a blog.

7. When we were home for Christmas, I acquired a hymnal with this song in it. My heart is warm.

8. On sleep cycles. Well it's after 10:30pm as I type this sentence, and while I did cut some fabric for a sleep mask, that is as far as I got with making one. I do however try to sleep facing the sunlight when I'm hitting the snooze button in the morning, so that has to count for something.

9. I had forgotten about this one until recently. Still clever.

10. I still think of this Haiku quite a bit.

11. We're currently still at the church we were at when I wrote this list. Feeling pretty good about it, but not members yet.

12. City recommendation. Want to go back soon.

13. A picture story of a sewing project.

14. Some book recommendations.

15. On authenticity.

16. This post makes me want to watch Away We Go again.

17. Just made some chicken stock yesterday, as a matter of fact.

18. We are still eating this sauce. Frugal city.

19. August was a pretty good month for blogging, if I do say so myself. Here are some links that I was digging then.

20. So happy I discovered Dag and his Markings.

21. Self-analysis.

22. A glimpse into why I can't go to bed at a decent time and some pictures.

23. A post about soap.

24. On Gettysburg.

25. Thoughtfulness.

26. This list wouldn't be complete if it didn't contain a post that quoted Lewis Carroll.

27. So many ramblings.

Wow, 27 blogposts to read. Good luck with that. Some of these are more my favorite than others. But I like them all, and now when I want to refer back to one of them, I only need to consult this handy list.

Adventures in Travel and the Kindness of Strangers

2012-01-04T22:24:00.000-05:00

So I've been meaning to post this story for a while. Since it has been nearly a week, the story is going to be abbreviated, and mostly pictures. Luckily.

Last Friday we were on our way to the airport (was supposed to be a four-hour drive...we gave ourselves an extra hour because the night before it had been raining). Just after we crossed from Iowa into Minnesota, we hit a patch of ice and landed (gently careened is how my long-story version put it) in the ditch. We and the car were ok, but we couldn't get out on our own. Several cars stopped to see if we needed anything, and one guy insisted on staying with us until Triple A got there to tow us out. How could we feel anything but blessed as we waited to get pulled out of the ditch?

A picture before we went into the ditch. A sign moments before this pointed this way and said "Highest Elevation in Iowa." (Hawkeye Point. Wikipedia it. It exists.). A couple minutes later and we were in MN...and in the ditch (photo taken with my phone).

Taken from the ditch. We were waiting for the tow truck and I just thought the sun rising and the dew on the grass were so pretty (taken with a real camera...the only pictures I took the whole time we were in the Midwest. For shame).

I couldn't resist.

Sort of blurry, but our tire tracks. We spun around one complete time and were facing the same direction we were originally headed when all was said and done.

Nestled in some reeds. Too slippery to drive out on our own. Both doors were open because the camera was in our bag in the back seat, and I was just quickly taking some pictures.

So fortunate not to have hit any signs....and to have landed upright...and for all the kind folks that stopped and asked how they could help.

About an hour after we landed in the ditch, we were on our way again. Because we had left a little early, we felt confident that we would make it to the airport on time. Until an hour and a half or so later...

When our tire blew. Note the precipitation in the air and the shards of tire missing.

SO grateful that Steve knows how to change a tire. Also grateful that we were able to pull halfway up an exit ramp before stopping. And grateful for the people who again stopped to see if we needed anything. A state patrol stopped and lent us his tire iron (going to have to wikipedia that too, if you don't know what it is. I had to ask Steve for the proper name).

Long story short (and this is the short version!), driving 45 mph on the spare did not allow us to get to the airport on time to make our flight. While I slowly drove in the direction of the airport, Steve made a bunch of phone calls (lots. Thankful I was driving. Talking on the phone stresses me out) and not only got us a flight to Cleveland later that day (Cleveland is only an hour and a half away from where we live...not the closest airport to us, but close enough!), but worked out rides to and from both airports (thankful for dear friends willing to carve extra time out of their day for us).

Still not sure of all that the Lord wanted to teach us in this adventure, and why we couldn't make it to the airport for our original flight...but so grateful for safety, for the kindness of both good friends and strangers, and that we did make it back to PA in one piece. Perhaps because I have resolved to be a kinder person in 2012, God wanted to show me some ways to do so? Maybe so, though there is probably more to it than that. We shall see!

Some recent soap pictures

2012-01-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Recently acquired a cute little green plate that I intend to use as a soap dish. Luckily I have a ton of soap laying around just waiting to be photographed.

The ever-scrubby coffee and walnut soap that I posted about a couple of months ago.

Just this afternoon I went ahead and ordered a silicone mini-loaf baking pan to use as a soap mold. Did you know those things are nearly impossible to find in stores? Me neither until just recently.

To show size.

Some cinnamon and coffee soap, specially ordered!

Small bars. Good for washing hands. Kind of looks like MN.

Some oddly shaped cinnamon and coffee soaps. I still like them. The silicon mold will help me with consistently shaped bars of soap. Hopefully.

My favorite picture. An accident of sorts.

Too big for the soap plate. This is a recipe I invented...one of my favorites so far!

First Snow

2012-01-03T16:08:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of the season that had a legit snow fall (still only a inch or two tops) here in Western PA. We didn't get much of a white Christmas (even in MN), so this little bit of white is welcome! And beautiful. Have to get these pictures posted before it melts.

From our stoop. Lots of snow in the air in the background.

The tree in our yard. Again with the snow in the air.

Our sad little bikes. Mine still doesn't have a seat.

Snowing across the street.

Love that this tree has something to look at all year round.

This picture is essentially the same as the next one.

Taken from the window.

This too. Even though they're dumpsters, they're the most colorful things that I could see to contrast with...everything else.

Hopefully more posts coming soon. I still haven't blogged about our travel adventures last Friday. Lucky for you, the longer I wait, the shorter the description will be. I typed up something the other night about it that was 4 pages single spaced. JRR Tolkien would've been overwhelmed by all the details.

6 Things For 2012

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I started to write these a month in advance, so that I could think about them a little bit before posting them. Also, this way I could add to the list as I think of things, over the month of December. Anyway, does it matter? It is January 1st, and thanks to scheduled posting, I am free to start this post in December and not have it post for a whole month. It's the little things, people.

Anyway, this list should average out to working on one thing every other month. Though some of them are likely ongoing. I am going to try to be realistic this year, and also not double up like last year. Last year had me going to Canada like every other day.

1. The Birthday Project
Remember this for my Birthday (November 10th, if you want to start saving for my present...and because I took it off of Facebook to see if anyone would remember anyway). Basically a couple years ago, this lady spent her birthday doing one act of kindness for every year of her life. She involved her family, and ranks it as her favorite birthday. To prepare myself, I would like to just be a person who is kinder in general. Hopefully I will do some acts of kindness before my birthday in 2012.

2. Less Snark, More Positivity
In the same vane (Vein? Vain. Probably vein. Anyone grossed out by veins? Sorry.) as being a more kind person, I am going to try try to not take all my snarkiness out on the internets. So if I'm in a snarky mood, or even if I'm not, I'm going to try to be less snarky, especially when I'm on my various social medias. I have a better control of my snark* in real life, but I will try to keep it under wraps (raps?) there, too. Only positive posts. If I can't say something nice, I won't say anything at all.

3. Show Interest
From my November 25th, 2011 Twitter post: Ask more & better questions, & take to heart Philippians 2:4 (which says, "Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."). I would like to be a better question asker, to accurately reflect the true interest I have in people. I would like to come across as less aloof.

4. Soap

We already know that I like to make it. And I can only give away so much. So be on the lookout for an Etsy page in 2012. I am excited to: make lots of soap, take pictures of it, and market it shamelessly. I am nervous about: actually selling any, getting good reviews, and knowing how to properly and legally have a small business (um...does anyone know anything about doing taxes? Me neither.). Oh! And I'm also excited to blog about soap, and educate the masses about it.

5. Finish Well
In May I will finish my time at Seminary. Holy shmokes, time flies. What not so long ago was on a list (or two**) of things to do is now almost complete. It's been a good ride, I've learned a lot (and still a full semester's worth of things to learn!). For January term, I will be taking an intensive called Sex, Gender, and The Gospel, and then I have a full load for the rest of the semester: Global Anglicanism, Classical Readings in Christology, Biblical Foundation for Mission, and Capstone. I will graduate with an MA in Religion, focusing on Christian History and Theology. What's next? I'm trusting that God will open some doors, until then (best viewed in your reader):

6. Blog more
I know it must seem like this is something that gets talked about all the time, but I'm really going to try it. Blog more than what, you ask? Blog more than I post on any other various social medias, that's what. But I'm probably not going to advertise it much. It's 2012, people, if you haven't figured out how to add my blog to your reader, then me reminding you every day is not going to help you succeed in life. That was harsh. And a little snarky. You will have to remember that I'm writing these in 2011 (when it's still ok to be snarky). Sorry about that. But seriously. When you follow blogs on a reader, then you only have to remember to check the reader. It's only one thing to check each day instead of however many blogs/twitter accounts you follow. So, if you see that I am posting a million things a day somewhere else, but haven't updated my blog in a month, you have my permission to call me out on it. But don't really call me. I hate talking on the phone. Texting is better. Text me out on it. Or just tell me to my face, which is infinitely better than texting. What was this about again? Oh yes. I will blog more in 2012.

*Snark...according to some sources, "snark" is one of many words invented by Lewis Carroll. I am using it to mean me being negative or un-encouraging or whiny. Or overly and unnecessarily corrective. It's a good thing to decide to avoid, especially in election years. Which reminds me. I once resolved to make some sort of decision about being a good citizen by 2012. Crap.

**This list needs to get re-visited soon. I still really like it.

Merry Christmas to you and yours

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

The semester is over, people!!

I should be packing, as we leave for the airport in 7 hours, but who can resist a blogpost? Not this girl.

Granted by the time you read this, it will already be a few days later (thanks, scheduled posting!).

Anyway, I hope you are hanging out with some loved ones and not reading this blog on Christmas day, but if you are reading...Merry Christmas!

Here are some Christmassy pictures from our living room.

The top (better) half of our Christmas tree, nativity scene in the background.

Some brown paper packages tied up with string. Thanks, Steve!

Also, a classic Christmas clip.

Cheers! See you in 2012!

(If you're looking for a recap of 2011, I didn't really do much more than what was talked about here).

Of houses and history.

2011-12-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well people, it's not Monday, but I'm posting anyway. Don't try to manage my creativity!!

This morning I started and finished a paper for a class. Crossed the entire class of my semester's To Do list, no big deal. And while I should be finishing another assignment so I can start spending the weekend studying for Monday and Tuesday's finals, I am instead going to reward myself for finishing Modern Church by posting a picture of my dream house. I stole it from the letterhead of a Christmas note, so someone probably already lives in this particular house, but who says I can't live in one just like it? Also, if the interior could look like a log cabin, then I could more easily convince Steve to live here too ;)

Ok, the porch could be a little bigger.

I'm still deciding whether I would prefer this house to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees...or in the middle of a city, within walking distance of everything. Decisions, decisions.

Ok, back to work.

PS....currently listening to this.

Studying and Hair. Both really know how to fill up a Monday.

2011-12-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like this is not going to be the greatest of posts. I was somewhat of a social butterfly over the weekend and did not get any of my homework done. So today I have been attempting to complete a weekend's worth of homework.

So far, it is going ok. I came across this quote from a different history book that I thought was quite thought-provoking. I will have to think about it later though! No time!

"Over the past century...the center of gravity of the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward, to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. ...Christianity should enjoy a worldwide boom in the new century, but the vast majority of believers will be neither in Europe nor Euro-American." -Philip Jenkins (page 495 in the above linked book)

Time to move to Europe, people! Or stay in the United States. Or really, go wherever the Lord calls you, don't let this blog sway you.

Also, this is why I wear a ponytail a lot. Because hair that is naturally this voluminous is scary to the rest of the thin-haired world.

eat your heart out

My usual church history post

2011-12-05T10:21:00.001-05:00

Oh Blog, you knew I wouldn't stay away for very long!

I am working on homework all day today, so of course I've been twittering and looking up things that don't matter on the internet. Yesterday during my Sunday afternoon nap, I dreamed that we had frozen pizza for dinner (cooked it, of course), so after Bible study, I told Steve that I had a dream about pizza, and he said, "That's funny, because I was thinking about pizza during the Bible study." So at 9pm, we drove to the store and got a frozen pizza. It was glorious. We sat on the couch and enjoyed our late, much-anticipated pizza, and watched/felt awkward/laughed a lot at this show.

Speaking of dreams, the other night I dreamed (dreampt?) that Steve told me I should get a pair of Tom's Shoes. Now as you know, I take my dreams very seriously. But also, you may remember that Tom's have not always been my favorites. So while I was reading my Church History book today (see below), I was also browsing some Tom's, to see if I could find any shoes that struck my fancy. Found these:

I like the color and the braid on the bottom. Also, this picture is TINY! Better to follow the link. I could try to make the picture bigger, but it is funnier this way.

So anyway, I am reading my usual Church History book, and of course came across a quote I liked. What are we all going to do next semester when I'm not reading this book anymore?
"To the Church the war came as an opportunity and a challenge -- an opportunity, because Christianity flourishes more in the soil of adversity than in that of prosperity and ease; a challenge, because war strikes at the very heart of the Christian gospel of love and forgiveness." (page 416, on the first world war)

Mmm. Lots to chew on. Thanks, Church History! Last night in our Bible study, we talked about anxiousness and frustration (actually, it's a book study on this book), and a lot of times anxiousness (and worry, discontent, frustration, etc) is less about our circumstances, and more about how we react/respond to them. Apparently God is using Church History homework and Bible Study to tell me something. How do we respond to our circumstances? Do we see them only as challenges, or also as opportunities? As always, it is best to remember that God cares for us, and that he is in control. Also, someone might see your life and think the grass is totally greener in your yard!

Hope your day is merry!

Brief Hiatus

2011-11-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

Not from reading or commenting, but from posting. In all my social medias.

Happy Advents to you and yours!

Made by Steve, a while ago. Both the oats and the picture. I don't think it has anything to do with Advent, or a hiatus. But I like it. The picture. Not the oats.

Jesus -- putting the "Advent" into "Adventure" since before the beginning of time.

2011-11-27T11:56:00.001-05:00

In 2008, my 197th resolution was to Devise a list of verses to read every day for Advent. I failed to do that that year. Perhaps because it was 197 on the list, or perhaps because Advent always sneaks up on me. Or perhaps it's because several others before me have already devised lists of verses to read every day for Advent (though that doesn't stop me from still wanting to make one on my own. It's a character flaw of mine).
Advent is the time of year that we prepare ourselves for Christmas. You can read about it on the ever-accurate Wikipedia. Wikipedia gets a bad rap a lot, but truthfully, it can be helpful when you just want to quickly get some information on something. I wouldn't recommend using it for a research paper, but for looking up what Advent is about on someone's blog...well, it's perfectly acceptable to utilize Wikipedia in this way. Anyway, plenty of churches observe Advent. Plenty of Christians observe Advent. Consumerism even does. Our Advent calendar that we've been using for the past few years was purchased at Starbucks, for example. Everyone wants to get in on the countdown (and eat candy every day until Christmas).
Anyway, it is now 2011, and I still haven't compiled a list of verses. Probably won't for this year, either. It is already the first Sunday in Advent, so time is running out, for one. For another, my school distributes an Advent devotional each year...so we've been using (and will use) that for our daily Advent needs (that, and the Starbucks tree filled with candy for each day until Christmas...the healthier me suggested we put mixed nuts in each box, but that suggestion lost out to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups).

Our Starbucks Advent Calendar. Each day in December you find the box corresponding to the day, eat the candy in it, and turn it around to reveal a piece of a picture. The closer you get to Christmas, the more you get to see of a fun wintery scene (snow on rooftops, people sledding, etc). This will be our 6th Advent with this bad boy. Usually we try to do an Advent reading before we eat the candy.

Anyway, what are we talking about? The first Sunday of Advent is today. When our alarms went off this morning we weren't thinking of that. All we could think of was how one of us did not feel well, and could probably benefit from some more sleep. The other, being a supportive spouse, stayed back too. After waking up a little more (mainly because one of us had to go help a locked-out student who didn't read carefully when students were allowed to move back into the buildings...it's not today, people....in hindsight, I feel bad for that student, who spent their Sabbath driving back to school, when they could've spent one more day with their family. Live and learn, I guess). Anyway, after waking up more fully, I was saddened a little that we missed church on the first Sunday of Advent. So we had our own little service here on the couch. We read all of the Scriptures suggested in the devotional, then read the devotional for the day, and then listened to about 20 versions of O Come, O Come Emmanuel on Grooveshark.
Here is one of the favorites:

We missed out on fellowship that going to church would've provided (but, with being sick, and then having to have left early to help a student....perhaps the only thing we missed out on was driving back and forth to and from church). Anyway, we had the Scripture, we had the songs, we even had some prayer and a little sermonette...and later, we could even catch up on the sermon we missed at church, thanks to technology.

All that being said, Happy Advent. Hopefully you can find your way through all of your Christmas lights and shopping lists (not necessarily bad things) to make time to prepare your heart for the true meaning of Christmas, and as we wait for Jesus to someday return!
Do you have any Advent traditions? What are they? Or, why not?
(I'm trying to be more interactive on this blog, for the sake of my 2 readers).

All the mundane* things that charm me most

2011-11-23T16:22:00.001-05:00

Firstly before you read any farther, please go here for the music that I have personally selected for you to listen to while you read. You will want to open it in a new tab.

Onward.

Ok, so I realize that it has been a while. As of just moments ago I was a bit behind on my blog reading, and even further behind on blog writing.

Exhibit A

My life is pretty mundane right now, and that is a good thing. I can't always be out making pictures of fabulous things (or fabulous pictures of mundane things). Mainly because this is what it looks like all the time when I look out our window.

Exhibit B

I do have a post up my sleeve (maybe) about (infant/believer/believer infant) baptism, but still gathering my thoughts on that one. I really always thought that I would not have to make a decision about this until we had a baby, but alas, I have to have an answer for a class. So I have until the end of the semester to come up with an answer (which is just around the corner). As always, I'm leaning toward being ok with infant baptism. Of course I'm ok with believer baptism as well. I grew up in a denomination that does both. And baby dedications too (which I really can't see much difference in this and infant baps outside of the water...which I guess is important....but then why bother to dedicate your baby and not baptize? or vice versa?). I do know that I always feel a little uncomfortable in a church that won't even consider infant baptism. Ok. Another post for another time.

Anyway, since the old blog received a very nice shout-out the other day, I felt like I needed to have something new posted. And since it's gloom city today, I took some pictures in our apartment.

They are very mundane. Are you still listening to the music? Unless you are in a library, or sitting in a very important meeting while reading this, you have no excuse! What other station would play piano renditions of both Come Thou Fount and Smells Like Teen Spirit? You are missing out if you've read this far without the proper soundtrack.

Ok. Onto mundane pictures.

Exhibit C. Today I made some beer bread. We have had some beer bread mix just waiting for a moment like this since last Christmas. It is yum.

Exhibit D. Also made a stew of sorts in the crock pot (see Exhibit B, for what type of day it is). It is cream based, and has various vegetables and chicken. If it doesn't thicken up (and even if it does), we plan on adding some pieces of beer bread (see Exhibit C) to it, instead of crackers.

Exhibit E. Since we were out buying beer for bread, I also got some for making soap. Just to experiment. I've read that beer has to be COMPLETELY flat before you can even begin to think of adding lye to it. So it has been sitting on the counter since last night. Perhaps by Friday it will be flat? I guess I don't know how long it takes to De-carbonate a carbonated beverage**. I bet google knows. Anyway, aside from having a nice color, beer soap is also supposed to be good for your skin. We shall see!

Finally, Exhibit F. We got this candle as a wedding gift, and I absolutely love how it smells. I have been trying to ration out how often it gets used so that it will last longer. I don't know what it smells like. Purple? There isn't a label on the bottom. If you are an expert in smells, please come over and smell this candle and tell me what it is so I can buy more and burn them all the time. Also, so I can make soap that smells the same. Thanks in advance.

*To be said quickly, since it is replacing a one-syllable word.
**Because I rarely if ever drink carbonated beverages, pop, beer, or otherwise, and because we're not allowed to have beer in our apartment when it's not Thanksgiving break. Disclaimer, in case you were wondering about the integrity of this post. Rest easy, we're not breaking any rules.

Soren

2011-11-07T23:51:00.000-05:00

Am reading a little about various philosophers and what they thought and just getting tired trying to even grasp it. Philosophy sometimes tires me. Reading about philosophers is tiring. I am tired.

Anyway, I ran across this paragraph, and it did not make me feel tired.

"For Kierkegaard, the greatest enemy of Christianity was Christendom, the purpose of which is to simplify the matter of becoming a Christian. In Christendom, one is a Christian by simply being neither Jew nor Muslim. But in truth, those who understand Christianity in that fashion are mere pagans. Such cheap Christianity, with neither cost nor pain, is like war games, in which armies move and there is a great deal of noise, but no real risk nor pain -- and therefore no real victory. What we call Christianity is simply playing at being Christians. And many preachers contribute to the mockery of that game when they seek to make Christianity an easy thing. This is the "crime of Christendom," which plays at Christianity and "takes God for a fool." And the tragedy is that few realize how ridiculous it is to speak of God in such terms."

Thought. Provoking.
Page 394.

-----

Thankful for friends with whom we can be both mundane and meaningful.

My Review of The Tree of Life, Stolen from Alice In Wonderland.

2011-11-04T19:23:00.000-04:00

A few nights ago, we watched the movie The Tree of Life. It is a very visually stunning movie, but sort of....abstract...as to what it is about. Plus, a lot of the spoken words (I hesitate to say "dialogue") in the movie are actually whispered, and I cannot understand whispering 98% of the time. If you've ever whispered to me and I nodded, it was either:

A) I read your lips and understood

B) I was pretending I understood (saying "huh?" and looking confused just makes people whisper more)

I'm hard of hearing, people.

So, anyway, if I watch that movie again, I will demand that there are subtitles.

Last night we went and saw Geneva's play, Alice In Wonderland. We quite enjoyed it.

At the beginning, Alice reads the famous Jabberwocky poem, and then gives her review of it...and I thought it was also the perfect review of The Tree of Life.

Since I can't remember exactly what was said, I have to thank the internets for filling in the words of this quote:

'It seems very pretty,' she said when she had finished it, 'but it's rather hard to understand!' (You see she didn't like to confess, even to herself, that she couldn't make it out at all.) 'Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas---only I don't exactly know what they are!"

Thanks, Lewis Carroll.

2011.

2011-11-04T12:25:00.002-04:00

Inspired by Julie, I think it's time to evaluate just how badly I'm failing at my new year's resolutions. There's still plenty of 2011 left, so I won't be too hard on myself yet.
1. Learn to sew well.

I have learned to sew decently. I haven't been practicing as much as I would like, but perhaps some new holiday pillow covers will be in order once Thanksgiving is over (or maybe not). I have been crafty in other ways this year, as this is the year I also taught myself to crochet and make soap.

2. Take frugality to new, creative levels.

Tried coupons for a while, and then discovered that shopping at Aldi is even better than using coupons. Though I will probably start using coupons again in the future when everyone and their mother doesn't want to feed us on a regular basis, and grocery shopping becomes more of a necessity.
Learned to make soap, so will probably spend very little on bars of soap from here on out.
That's about it. Or at least as much as I can think of right now.

3. Make one new photo a week.

Fail. But not a total fail. I have not given up on making photos completely.

4. Travel to a country I've never visited.

Canada. Twice. Going to go to Toronto in December for this:

Toronto Christmas Market:

5. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy (or should this be number 4?).

Have been trying to in general be better with how and what I spend my time on. There is always room for improvement, but I feel like I am on the right road with this one. Usually Saturday or Sunday is when I try to remember the Sabbath.

6. Regularly attend a Bible study.

I am regularly attending two Bible studies. I love it. Both of them for different reasons. One for the community it provides, and the other for the opportunity to meet other people in the greater community that I wouldn't otherwise. Both provide good study of the Bible, too. Of course.

7. Expand our family.

We've been working on this. Currently working with someone to figure out why we haven't been fruitful. There is very little time left in 2011 to succeed in this, but there is always hope for 2012...and trusting the Lord's timing.

8. Sell something I make.

I think I could sell some soap. It's good soap. Though not sure if I will sell any in 2011. It's still progress though, to figure out a craft that I ~~like~~ love.

9. Accomplish at least 2 of the unbolded goals for 2008, particularly the ones that refer to the fact that I once again live in Pennsylvania.

Here they are, to remind you:

1. Go to Boston -- haven't done. Still want to. Maybe next year.
5. Go to Washington DC -- see number one.
9. Go to Niagara Falls -- twice!
13. Go Colonial Williamsburg -- No, but we went to Gettysburg, which should count for something.
17. Go to a Boston Red Sox Game -- see #1.
21. Go to The Poconos -- Nope. This is further away from us than DC.
23. See the Statue of Liberty -- Nope, but maybe in 2012.
24. Go to New Hampshire -- No
27. Go to Vermont -- No
31. Go to Connecticut -- No
35. Go to Maryland -- No, but Gettysburg is super close to Maryland, so there's that.
39. Go to Delaware -- No
43. Go to New Jersey -- No
179. Go to Canada -- Yes, but counting it for visiting another country.

10. Visit the capital of the country on my passport.

No. There are too many cross-over things on this year's list, which makes my failure seem to be that much more. I will have to keep this in mind for next year. I mean, there is still time to go to DC...and it is a mere five-ish hours away....but....well, we'll see.

11. Exercise more.

I was better at this throughout the summer. Have stopped intentionally exercising. BUT, have started drinking tea on a regular basis, and making sure I am getting enough water, and cutting down on the amount of sugar I consume...so really, I'm healthier than I was at the beginning of the year. Which is progress.

----
Oh yeah, and I am thankful that I even have the opportunities to try the things on this list. I am truly blessed.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-01T10:43:00.000-04:00

November. My favorite month.

My birthday, Thanksgiving, the unofficial changing of seasons.

The beginning of Advent.

What's not to love?

In order to decorate my blog for Thanksgiving, I am going to try to include at least one thing I am thankful for in each post this month. How many posts this month? We shall see.

What am I thankful for?

1. Being so well taken care of. I have a place to live, food to eat, community, good books to read, and a wonderful husband.

2. I get to be a full-time seminary student, one of my long-time dreams.

3. My first batch of soap that I made all those weeks ago....works! And works well!

Lathers well, smooth, and doesn't smell like anything.

I am testing the one that I accidentally cut to look like cheese. It still works!

Love your neighbor.

2011-10-29T14:58:00.001-04:00

It seems that I have been going through some sort of blogging slump lately. Not too many pictures or meaningful posts. The same goes with certain other social media venues that I employ (except Twitter, which I have no problem using on a minutely basis). Facebook is becoming more and more like email to me. Checking it only to see if there are any notifications, or if I need to get ahold of anyone (and skimming through pictures of people's kids...and quickly skimming through all the political unrest, etc). Little blurbs about what is going on in my life, but nothing too thoughtful. I have really yet to see the use for google+, as I forget to check it, and don't really know what service it provides that I can't get elsewhere. Ho hum. Doo dedoo.

Anyway, since I have no problems coming up with things to say on Twitter, I went there to see if I could find something to blog about. Last Sunday, I posted this tweet:

Thinking about what it really means to "love our neighbor." Considering Galatians 5:13-15, 6:1-10 (esp 2), Romans 13:8-9, &; Luke 10:25-37.

Sounds like the perfect thing to blog about, thought I don't have too many solutions to offer. Just thoughts and some Scriptures.

I have been failing at taking pictures lately, though have enjoyed the occasional impromptu stovetop photo shoot to try to illustrate something. These two are neighbors. And saltshakers. If you think the girl is salt, you would be mistaken.

There's probably little disagreement among Christians that we need to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is in the "how" we love our neighbor, and the "who" is our neighbor question that we can't seem to figure out/agree on.

Jesus, when He was asked the question, "And who is my neighbor?," launches into the familiar story of the good Samaritan. Now, there is a lot that could be said about this particular story, of the history of why the Samaritans weren't liked by the Jewish people, or why the priest and temple assistant didn't even want their shadow to touch the man who was beaten and robbed, but let's look at the answer of who the neighbor is. The neighbor is the one who showed mercy on the person who needed it. Jesus says that this is what we are to do in order to be a good neighbor. So, who needs mercy? Probs everyone at some point, right? Even ourselves!

Ok. I have lots of thoughts that I've typed and then deleted. They are merely speculative, and not sure if they are helpful. I guess a lot of what I have been thinking about lately has to do with two things (that could have to do with each other, but not necessarily).
1. How do we care for the poor, both among us, and in the world. If we just give them the resources we think they need, are we really helping? What can we do on a relational level with people before we just give them yesterday's t-shirts? If we go downtown and start up 10 businesses, will it really help, or will it just force the poor to live somewhere else? If we know the people, and what businesses they would shop/work at, it would be better. But that takes a lot of time, and we are not creatures that are known for their patience. If we are doing relational ministry, there are a lot less statistics that we can give to people who want to give us money to help. What do we base our "success" on?
2. How do we care for and show love to people who are difficult to love/care for? It is easier to love our neighbor who is just like we are, for better or for worse. How can we show love for those who drive us crazy, or who have a different worldview, or whose sins are seemingly different from our own? Is it ok if one person's style of loving his/her neighbor is different from our own?

Lots to consider. There is a lot, a la-hot, of Scripture that is all about loving our neighbor. The last 6 of the Ten Commandments are all about loving our neighbor. Both old and new testament talk about loving our neighbor. There must be something we can glean from this and apply to today. Here is the tip of the iceberg:

In Deuteronomy, the people are told to leave some of their hard work behind during the harvest time, so that the poor can come and take what they need afterward.

In Leviticus, the idea of leaving part of your harvest behind and following the neighborly part of the Ten Commandments is discussed (This is not meant to discredit the first four commandments. Loving God and loving your neighbor tend to go hand in hand).

Galatians 5:13-26 points to the entire law being summed up in, "love your neighbor as yourself" and gives examples of how to live in the Spirit.

Galatians 6:1-10 also talks about harvesting, but harvesting good. I especially like verses 2-3, "Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important." How can we practically share each other's burdens? This could start in the home/family, and reach out to the community, and to the world. Sharing burdens implies that both parties take on each other's burdens. It isn't just one important person with seemingly no burdens helping out the poor person they don't know. No one has the upper hand when burdens are being shared. There are probably implications that joys are being shared as well in this scenario.

Romans 13:8-9. Sorry Mr. Ramsey, but I don't think these verses are so much about being a good steward with your money as they are about loving your neighbor.

Hebrews 13:15-16 says that sharing with those in need and doing good are ways that we can give a pleasing and continual sacrifice of praise to God.

Ok. Lots to think about. What do you think it means to love your neighbor? How does that look? What verses help you to think of this?

Going through paperwork and old mail. Going to throw this away, but wanted to remember what it said.

2011-10-20T15:18:00.000-04:00

Today I am going through our stacks of paper...receipts, mail (junk or otherwise), etc and trying to declutter.
Found this newsletter from New Wineskins Missionary Network, and thought I would like to remember what it said (though, I don't want to keep it in a stack of papers in the guest bedroom. Posting it here so I can throw it away).
Anyway. I know. I need to take some pictures and post them here - not just copy other people's words that I want to think about more.
But for now, in a letter written by Sharon Steinmiller, the Director of New Wineskins:

September 26, 2011

Dear Friend,

Last month I was asked to speak on China at St. David's Vacation Bible School. I showed the children pictures of the Great Wall, panda bears, and two Buddhas. I told the kids, "This one is carved out of a cliff, and that one is covered in gold, but do you know what the Bible says?"
They have mouths, but they cannot..."Eat!" said the kids. "That's true. What else can't they do?"
They have eyes, but they cannot..."Blink!" said the kids. "That's true. What else can't they do?"
They have ears, but they cannot..."Hear!" "That's right. They can't hear our prayers, but Jesus does!"
They have noses, but they cannot..."Sniff!" said the kids. "That's true. What else can't they do?"

Muslims, by contrast, do not believe in idols, but they believe Allah is so far removed that he is unknowable. They can't know if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, so they never know if they will go to heaven. 9/11 is a sad reminder that in Islam the only sure way to heaven is to die in holy war.

You and I are surrounded by messages saying, "All religions are the same," and "There is no absolute truth." Sometimes we forget how blessed we are to have a God who hears and answers prayer, who sees our need and cares, and who has spoken to us in his Word and come to us in person in Jesus Christ.

If it's easy for us to forget, what is it like for the millions of people -- according to Operation World 41% of this world -- who have not heard the message of God's love and salvation in Jesus Christ? Buddhists need to know that God loves them and Jesus came to rescue them from an endless cycle of suffering. Muslims need to know they don't have to die for God because Jesus died for them.

Profundity, part 2

2011-10-18T11:25:00.001-04:00

One last quote from The Hunger Games

It's funny, because even though they're rattling on about the Games, it's all about where they were or what they were doing or how they felt when a specific event occurred. "I was still in bed!" "I had just had my eyebrows dyed!" "I swear I nearly fainted!" Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena.
Page 353-4

Profundity

2011-10-16T12:08:00.002-04:00

So we're a little late on jumping on this bandwagon, but Steve and I have started reading The Hunger Games trilogy. We're both in various points in the first book.

Last night I read this quote, and thought I should write it down.

What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to roll in and die for their entertainment?
Page 65

Thinking about this. Too long for a tweet, not enough time to try to respond to people if I were to post it on facebook. Might develop it more later on here. Maybe. Maybe not though.

2011-10-12T20:45:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we have only seen the tail of the elephant & assume we're looking at the whole animal. Confusion ensues when someone who has only seen the trunk tries to tell us about elephants.

Some of my faves from Gettysburg

2011-10-10T21:59:00.000-04:00

Made some pictures this past weekend. More pictures are on Facebook with people in them....these are just a few of my favorites as far as pictures go.

Silohuettes. Devil's Den.

A kid wearing a cowboy hat.

I don't know these people. But I like this picture.

One of my favorites.

Took a long time to get this. I couldn't sit still enough because I was worried that there might be snakes in the grass.

Canon. Shot by a Canon camera.

Me and my doors.

A statue representing hand-to-hand combat...and using the gun like a club.

Flags.

Brilliant Autumn Colors on the way home.

Reminded again this morning why I love Isaiah 55

2011-10-05T09:25:00.002-04:00

Isaiah 55

Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation

1 “Is anyone thirsty?
Come and drink—
even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
it’s all free!

2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.

3 “Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
I made him a leader among the nations.

5 You also will command nations you do not know,
and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey,
because I, the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”

6 Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.

7 Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.

8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.

11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

12 You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!

13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

One more from Moorman, on the conversion of John Wesley. Beautiful.

2011-10-03T13:21:00.000-04:00

Arrived in London he again made friends with the Moravians, and it was while worshipping with them that he underwent that spiritual experience, on May 24, 1738, which he always regarded as his conversion. A preacher was expounding the doctrine of Justification by Faith when Wesley began to feel things happening to him. ‘I felt my heart strangely warmed,’ he wrote. ‘I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death; and then I testified openly to all there what I now first felt in my heart.’ Wesley had been a priest of the Church for several years, but he always regarded this as the great turning-point of his life and the real beginning of his ministry.

Page 298

New class, but still reading Moorman on a weekly basis. I still enjoy.

2011-10-03T12:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what this would be like, for better/for worse.

The latter half of the 18th century marks one of the great turning-points of history. Up to this time, although minor changes were bound to take place man's life still went on very much as it had done for centuries. The only sources of power were the human body, domestic animals and a little wind and water. Consequently life was slow; and, because it was slow, it was constant and unchanging.
Page 293

Peaky peak at the soap

2011-10-03T10:03:00.003-04:00

Now for it to sit and stew for a couple/few weeks. I snuck a little chunk of it and tried to make a little lather. I was delighted when it worked!! We got some soap here people!

Coffee and Walnut Soap

2011-09-30T21:02:00.000-04:00

Made another batch of soap today. I have a list of reasons I like making soap, and some pictures, but first I have to give a shout out to this website, where I found this particular recipe, and Aldi, where you can buy groceries at verrrry nice prices.

Top 5 reasons I like to make the soap:

The more soap you make, the more cost effective it is!
It combines so many fun things: science, art, home economics, etc
It takes all the things I like about baking, and all the things I wish were involved in baking, and combines them (preparing, measuring, and mixing ingredients.....and then leaving the project to sit for 24+ hours, and then cutting it up and then letting it sit for a few more weeks...and then using it. And the product not only doesn't expire, it gets better the longer it sits).
Safety goggles and rubber gloves are very in style in our apartment right now.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to different soap recipes, and learning/inventing them (I am not to the point where I know enough to invent a recipe).

This evening Steve was around and took some pictures of me making soap. The captions are to give you an idea about the process, but are in no way meant to be instructional.

All of the ingredients are edible....except the lye (or, Sodium Hydroxide, or caustic soda...or, as you can see, drain opener....they're all the same. You don't want to eat this. This is the reason for the safety goggles and rubber gloves).

Thank God for immersion blenders. Basically all soap is lye mixed with some sort of fat/oil. This particular recipe also has brewed coffee. Coffee acts as a deodorant, so if you're chopping onions and garlic, apparently it would be a good idea to wash your hands with this soap. We shall see!

Also added some ground coffee and ground walnuts, as exfoliants.

I just liked the motion and color in this one.

Don't be deceived! This will not taste as good as it looks. There is a reason why washing your mouth out with soap should not be a pleasant experience. After the soap is the proper consistency, and additives are added in, pour it into whatever you have designated as a soap mold and let it sit for a while. 1-2 days, depending on the recipe.

No peaking until tomorrow!

Stalling and autumny pictures

2011-09-28T23:21:00.000-04:00

At 11pm I said, "Well, I better go to bed before Conan gets funny."
At 11:06pm I said, "Ok, well I'm definitely going to bed during the next commercial break."
11:10pm Conan says, "Seth Rogen's on the program!"
Dilemma.
I thought that since I was awake I would post a picture or two that I made at the apple orchard this past weekend.

This was my favorite in an unexpected way.

Lots of apples on the ground.

Too bad I don't know how to iPhoto a worm into this. It would be perfect

11:16pm, Conan puts on a smock suit and introduces the Audiencey Awards.

11:20pm. Sorry Conan. Sorry Seth Rogen. I need sleep.

Never buying soap again.

2011-09-24T18:09:00.000-04:00

Well people. When you plant an idea in my head, and it starts to grow, sometimes I just have to run with it. I know I said just two weeks ago that my soap hobby would have to start at a later date (because I had all of these legit excuses), but I couldn't stop thinking about it.....and....I may have gone out and ordered a couple more soap books that are wayyy better than the original that cultivated the seed of soap making that was planted earlier this year.
And....
I may have made a batch of soap yesterday.
And...
Today I took it out of the make-shift soap mold (the box that the immersion blender came in. I'm frugal)...and cut some bars....
And....
Now I have to wait somewhere between a couple and a few weeks before I can try these bad boys out (they need to dry a little more, and the lye needs to become milder).
They are a recipe that one of my books said was a good starter recipe. Very simple. No fragrances or additives. Just a simple bar of soap. Vegetarian, if you're interested (Olive oil, coconut oil, water, lye).
I can't wait to try them out!

I made a big cube and cut it into bars. Looks like cheese!

Gloves as a safety precaution....and a fashion statement.

My cutting tool.

Ten bars of soap!

Again. Next time I think I will add things like cinnamon and coffee.

Fresh soap.

On introversion and irony and enigma

2011-09-21T00:23:00.000-04:00

It is no secret, I am an introvert. I get overwhelmed by large groups of people (especially if I don't know them, but not limited), and I think an evening alone with my thoughts and a book is energizing. Don't get me wrong, I love people. I'm still not an extrovert. People are complex. Don't let dictionary.com tell you that being an introvert and being shy are the same thing, they're not! At least, in my mind they aren't. Anyway, this isn't really about being an introvert. Not completely. When I feel I've been "peopled out" I tend to find an excuse to withdraw for a while, just to recharge.

An illustration. Because I haven't made too many pictures in a while, and therefore haven't posted any for a while. For shame....but I made this one all by myself using a handful of coffee beans and the stove top!

Lately I've been wondering, though, if it is really accurate to put the umbrella of introversion over all the times I feel like being withdrawn. Coincidentally, I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading about the enneagram (well more thinking. I read over the summer). I think that I am a type 4, one of the types that withdraws to get what they want (they disengage from others to deal with their needs) (page 63)*. Sometimes, I think....and this is hard to admit, I withdraw from people not to recharge, but out of insecurity. I think, "people must be tired of me by now," (or, if I don't know them that well, I expect that they probably don't remember who I am) and preemptively avoid them. I do this passive-aggressively in the social media world by taking posting-sabbaticals and unfriending** people left and right. I do it in the real world by saying "no" to invites to hanging out/attending events (though, I love to be invited. Please don't give up on me if I say no a lot...I've been better at trying to say yes to things lately. I do crave community, I just don't want to overstay my welcome....and I've also been trying to be protective of my time...though both of these are just sort of lame excuses).
Sometimes I also wonder if this is due to moving every two years for the past few. We are starting our second year here (for the second time***), and I am trying hard not to get into the mindset of saying goodbye to everything and everyone (though it's difficult when you are constantly in an educational environment...people are always moving on). Perhaps, too, in getting used to this way of life, it becomes more foreign territory to be a part of a community for longer than a couple of years. It is a frightening and exciting thing.
Anyway, as a 4, I am aware that I can be enigmatic, so to add to all this, I resonate most with the Social Variant (of the enneagram's instinctual variants....Social variants are not necessarily the life of the party...it is the much more fundamental desire to be known and liked...the ability to adapt well to whatever environment we are in. Social variants tend to be "big picture" people, and like to make connections with others).
Anyway. Just some thoughts I've been thinking. To complete what has turned into an enneagram blogpost, I might as well also say that I'm a 4 with a 5 wing. The bohemian. It really doesn't have to do with the title of the post, but it does have to do with the content.
Please don't have the misconception that I'm depressed. I really am not. Just very aware of the pros and cons of my personality/tendencies. Some positive things about introverts are that we are usually among the intelligent and gifted. Some positive things about type 4s are that we are creative and unique and honest and appreciative of beauty and intuitive and have a great sense of humor. To name a few :)
Have you ever taken the Enneagram? What type are you?

*Wouldn't it be great if all documentation were this easy? Perhaps in the future.
**Most of the time my criteria for unfriending is based on how long it has been since I've seen them (and if I think I will ever see them again) and whether or not I would wish them Happy Birthday if facebook told me to....or if I saw them in a grocery store would I go up and talk to them, or just wave, or go to another aisle and pray they didn't see me.
***Isn't it funny when you tell God you'll go anywhere, and He sends you to Western PA twice?!

Markings, Part 18, Fin

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

In case you forgot that I didn't actually get up early every day in September in order to post these. They are the beauty of scheduling posts! (though I still read them every day. I likes them).

86. As I continued along the Way, I learned, step by step, word by word, that behind every saying in the Gospels stands one man and one man's experience. Also behind the prayer that the cup might pass from him and his promise to drink it. Also behind each of the words from the Cross. (205)

87. Sleepless questions
In the small hours:
Have I done right?
Why did I act
Just as I did?
Over and over again
The same steps
The same words:
Never the answer. (209)

88. June 11, 1961
Summoned
To carry it,
Alone
To assay it,
Chosen
To suffer it,
And free
To deny it,
I saw
For one moment
The sail
In the sun storm,
Far off
On a wave crest,
Alone,
Bearing from land.

For one moment
I saw.
(211)

89. July 19, 1961
Have mercy
Upon us.
Have mercy
Upon our efforts,
That we
Before Thee,
In love and in faith,
Righteousness and humility,
May follow Thee,
With self-denial, steadfastness, and courage,
And meet Thee
In the silence.

Give us
A pure heart
That we may see Thee,
A humble heart
That we may hear Thee,
A heart of love
That we may serve Thee,
A heart of faith
That we may live Thee,

Thou
Whom I do not know
But Whose I am.

Thou
Whom I do not comprehend
But Who hast dedicated me
To my fate.
Thou --
(214-215)

90. Almighty...
Forgive
My doubt,
My anger,
My pride.
By Thy mercy
Abase me,
By Thy strictness
Raise me up.
(217)

Markings, Part 17

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

More of this.

81. Not knowing the question,
It was easy for him
To give the answer. (190)

82. Because it never found a mate,
Men called
The unicorn abnormal. (193)

83. Easter, 1960 Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who "forgives" you -- out of love -- takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.
The price you must pay for your own liberation through another's sacrifice is that you in turn must be willing to liberate in the same way, irrespective of the consequences to yourself. (197)

84. The tension increased.
In the noonday heat
Their wills began to waver.

Night flared.
Phosphorescent,
The jungle wailed in the fierce grip of the storm.

They paid
The full price of love
That others might enjoy a victory.

Morning mist,
Chirping of early birds.
Who recalled the night's sacrifice?
December 2, 1960 (200)

85. The road,
You shall follow it.

The fun,
You shall forget it.

The cup,
You shall empty it.

The pain,
You shall conceal it.

The truth,
You shall be told it.

The end,
You shall endure it.*
December 3, 1960 (201)

*The only rhymed poem Dag wrote. The translator was unable to make it rhyme, so here is the original (it's in Swedish, in case your reader automatically translates it for you...as mine often does):

Vägen,
du skall följa den.

Lyckan,

du skall glömma den.

Kalken,

du skall tömma den.

Smärtan,

du skall dölja den.

Svaret,

du skall lära det.

Slutet,

du skall bära det.

Markings, Part 16

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dag. The man liked him some haikus. They were originally written in Swedish, but the translator tried to stay true to having 17 syllables.

76. Denied the Sought-After,
He longed to deserve
To be the Sought-After (180)

77. A box on the ear taught the boy
That Father's name
Was odious to them. (180)

78. On Christmas Eve, Good Friday
Was foretold them
In a trumpet fanfare. (186)

79. When he saw them all flee,
The skunk decided
He was the King of Beasts. (189)

80. Beauty, Goodness,
In the wonder's here and now
Became suddenly real. (190)

2 Timothy 4:1-5

2011-09-16T16:57:00.001-04:00

I don't really have anything profound to say. Though I have been wondering which ministry, if any, God will give me. Feeling sort of tired, but not in a sleepy sort of way. Should be doing homework, and I want to be, but I felt like I needed some Scripture before I began. Biblegatewayed the words "hear" and "listen" and was eventually taken to this passage from 2 Timothy. Is it proper to say "second" Timothy, or "two" Timothy? I've heard both. I usually say "second," but don't see a reason not to say "two," if that's what floats your boat. Anyway, here is the word for the day:

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom:

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.

They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

Markings, Part 15

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

You know it.

71. That piece of pagan anthropomorphism: the belief that, in order to educate us, God wishes us to suffer. How far from this is the assent to suffering when it strikes us because we have obeyed what we have seen to be God's will. (164)

72. The pure, simple self at the hour of waking -- and the first thing it sees -- its grotesque image in the distorting mirror of yesterday. (164)

73. Did'st Thou give me this inescapable loneliness so that it would be easier for me to give Thee all? (166)

74. Therefore, in my great loneliness, serve others. Therefore: how incredibly great is what I have been given, and how meaningless what I have to "sacrifice."
Hallowed be Thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done --
(166)

75. Lord -- Thine the day,
And I the day's. (170)

Markings, Part 14 (I know, right?)

2011-09-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

Vad är detta?
66. Another opportunity was given you -- as a favor and as a burden. The question is not: why did it happen this way, or where is it going to lead you, or what is the price you will have to pay. It is simply: how are you making use of it. And about that there is only one who can judge. (158)

67. Did you choose your words carefully enough, what impression did you make, did they think you were trying to be ingratiating, etc.? It is questions like these which keep you awake. Are you no longer confident that your instinctive reactions will guide you right? If so, you know why. You have allowed your hunger for "justice" to make you self-conscious, so that, in the performance of your task, you no longer forget yourself. So, and only so, can you be wounded by the opinions of the crowd. (160)

68. The madman shouted in the market place. No one stopped to answer him. Thus it was confirmed that his thesis was incontrovertible. (161)

69. That piece of pagan anthropomorphism: the belief that, in order to educate us, God wishes us to suffer. How far from this is the assent to suffering when it strikes us because we have obeyed what we have seen to be God's will. (164)

70. The pure, simple self at the hour of waking -- and the first thing it sees -- its grotesque image in the distorting mirror of yesterday. (164)

Markings, Part 13

2011-09-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

What are these?

61. We have to acquire a peace and balance of mind such that we can give every word of criticism its due weight, and humble ourselves before every word of praise. (151)

62. This being so, your endeavor to reach the goal should have taught you to rejoice when others reach it. (153)

63. The answer -- the hard straight brutal answer: in the One you are never alone, in the One you are always at home. (154)

64. Result and reaction -- The intense blaze of your anxiety reveals to what a great extent you are still fettered, still alienated from the One.

However, don't worry about this or anything else, but follow the Way of which you are aware, even when you have departed from it.

"Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (154)

65. Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either. It will neither give you back your past, nor satisfy your other daydreams. Your duty, your reward -- your destiny -- are here and now. (157)

Markings, Part 12

2011-09-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

What is this?

56. Vanity rears its ridiculous little head and holds up the distorting mirror in front of you. For an instant, the play actor adjusts his smile and his features to the role. For a mere instant -- but one too many. It is at such times that you invite defeat and betray Him whom you serve. (144)

57. You ask yourself if these notes are not, after all, false to the very Way they are intended to mark.

These notes? -- They were signposts you began to set up after you had reached a point where you needed them, a fixed point that was on no account to be lost sight of. And so they have remained. But your life has changed, and now you reckon with possible readers, even, perhaps, hope for them. Still, perhaps it may be of interest to somebody to learn about a path about which the traveler who was committed to it did not wish to speak while he was alive. Perhaps -- but only if what you write has an honesty with no trace of vanity or self-regard. (144)

58. Forward! Thy orders are given in secret. May I always hear them -- and obey.

Forward! Whatever distance I have covered, it does not give me the right to halt.

Forward! It is the attention given to the last steps before the summit which decides the value of all that went before. (145)

59. We act in faith -- and miracles occur. In consequence, we are tempted to make the miracles the ground for our faith. The cost of such weakness is that we lose the confidence of faith. Faith is, faith creates, faith carries. It is not derived from, nor created, nor carried by anything except its own reality. (145)

60. Be grateful as your deeds become less and less associated with your name, as your feet ever more lightly tread the earth. (146)

Markings, Part 11

2011-09-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

You know the drill.

51. Twice now you have done him an injustice. In spite of the fact that you were "right" or, more correctly, because you were, in your conceit and your stupid pride in your powers you went stumping on over ground where each step gave him pain. (137)

52. It was when Lucifer first congratulated himself upon his angelic behavior that he became the tool of evil. (140)

53. How humble the tool when praised for what the hand has done. (140)

54. Hallowed be Thy name,
not mine,
Thy kingdom come,
not mine,
Thy will be done,
not mine,
Give us peace with Thee
Peace with men
Peace with ourselves,
And free us from all fear. (142)

55. Your own efforts "did not bring it to pass," only God -- but rejoice if God found use for your efforts in His work. (143)

Markings, Part 10

2011-09-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

The first post about Markings

46. In many matters, profound seriousness can only be expressed in words which are lighthearted, amusing, and detached; such a conversation as you may expect to hear from someone who, while deeply concerned for all things human, has nothing he is trying to gain or defend. (121)

47. Before Thee, Father
In righteousness and humility,
With Thee, Brother,
In faith and courage,
In Thee, Spirit,
In stillness. (123)

48. When the morning's freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles quiver under the strain, the climb seems endless, and, suddenly, nothing will go quite as you wish -- it is then that you must not stop. (124)

49. Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is again made clean. The dream explains why we need to be forgiven, and why we must forgive. In the presence of God, nothing stands between Him and us -- we are forgiven. But we cannot feel His presence if anything is allowed to stand between ourselves and others. (124)

50. With the love of Him who knows all,
With the patience of Him Whose now is eternal,
With the righteousness of Him who has never failed,
With the humility of Him who has suffered all the possibilities of betrayal. (135)

Dreamy

2011-09-10T22:14:00.001-04:00

Awhile back, I read this story. And I was thinking about it again today, or the last couple of days, because I recently acquired a book about Soap-making at a local antique/consignment mall (so small, so new, so local that they don't have a website, not even a social media page...but if you come and visit me, I will take you there).

This book, actually. It was just under three dollars. Score.

After reading through this book, I really wish that I had the space to make some soap! It seems like the perfect pairing of science and creativity...as well as frugality. I think I will do a little more research though, and wait a while before I start my soap hobby. For one, I am back at school and need to devote my brain to homework. Two, our kitchen is small-ish, and I feel that I would need more space to work on/let my soap sit for the necessary length of time. Three, after reading the reviews for this book, I think I will have to get another more up to date book on soap-making. For one, I'm not necessarily into making highly scented bars of soap that look like various shapes (shells, flowers, etc), I'm more into fragrance-free (or naturally scented) rectangles of soap. And for two, there are some dangerous errors in my edition of the book that I would not have known about, had it not been for the warnings on amazon. For example, in the book it says to pour water into lye. In actuality, that would cause an explosion. Luckily someone caught these, and other errors before I experimented with making my own soap.

Here are the other corrections, in case you ran out and bought this book before finishing reading this blog post:

From the Publisher

CORRECTIONS to The Complete Soapmaker, by Norma ConeyNote to the reader: the changes on page 34 are particularly important and should be noted for reasons of safety.

On page 34, step 5 should read:

5. Make sure that the pitcher with water in it is resting on a protected surface. Carefully and slowly pour the lye into the water. Use your wooden spoon to lessen any splashing of the lye solution caused by chunks of lye dropping into the pitcher. Don’t make the mistake of adding the water to the lye.

On page 34, the first sentence of step 6 should read:

6. After you’ve added all the lye to the water, stir the solution gently with a wooden spoon until you’re sure that all the lye has dissolved.

On page 50, the first sentence of step 6 should read:

6. Continue to stir periodically until the soap has reached a pudding-like consistency.

On page 50, the first sentence of step 7 should read:

7. When the soap has reached a pudding-like consistency, remove it from the heat and stir it gently as it cools. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
___
Anyway, error-full book or not, go back and read the etsy article, in the link above. How can you not be inspired?!

Markings, Part 9

2011-09-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

Intro to Markings

41. You can only hope to find a lasting solution to a conflict if you have learned to see the other objectively, but, at the same time, to experience his difficulties subjectively. (114)

42. All first-hand experience is valuable, and he who has given up looking for it will one day find -- that he lacks what he needs: a closed mind is a weakness, and he who approaches persons or painting or poetry without the youthful ambition to learn a new language and so gain access to someone else's perspective on life, let him beware. (114)

43. Diplomatic "finesse" must never be another word for fear of being unpopular: that is to seek the appearance of influence at the cost of its reality. (114)

44. Really, nothing was easier than to step from one rope ladder to the other -- over the chasm. But, in your dream, you failed, because the thought occurred to you that you might possibly fall. (116)

45. The everlastingness of things -- an ironic commentary upon your claims to ownership. (117)

Markings, Part 8

2011-09-09T05:00:00.000-04:00

Read first, if you don't know what these are.

36. "For man shall commune with all creatures to his profit, but enjoy God alone." That is why no human being can be a permanent source of happiness to another. (101)

37. "What! He is now going to try to teach me!" -- Why not? There is nobody from whom you cannot learn. Before God, who speaks through all men, you are always in the bottom class of nursery school. (104)

38. Before Thee in humility, with Thee in faith, in Thee in peace. (104)

39. Prayer, crystallized in words, assigns a permanent wave length on which the dialogue has to be continued, even when our mind is occupied with other matters. (106)

40. "Those scarred by suffering, those who have beheld --" You can, if you choose, enter into their consciousness and learn -- without having gone through their hard school -- to see and hear like one who "hath not" and from whom "shall be taken away even that which he hath." (111)

Markings, Part 7

2011-09-08T05:00:00.000-04:00

The post that started it all.

31. The responsibility for our mistakes is ours, but not the credit for our achievements. Man's freedom is a freedom to betray God. God may love us -- yes -- but our response is voluntary. (97)

32. Beside our need for a meaning, also a need for human intimacy without conventional trappings -- for the experience of a circle where power expresses itself in meaningful and beautiful forms. The holiness of human life, before which we bow down in worship. (99)

33. Thou who art over us,
Thou who art one of us,
Thou who art --
Also within us,
May all see Thee -- in me also,
May I prepare the way for Thee,
May I think Thee for all that shall fall to my lot,
May I also not forget the needs of others,
Keep me in Thy love
As Thou wouldest that all should be kept in mine.
May everything in this my being be directed to Thy glory
And may I never despair.
For I am under Thy hand,
And in Thee is all power and goodness. (100)

34. Give me a pure heart -- that I may see Thee,
A humble heart -- that I may hear Thee,
A heart of love -- that I may serve Thee,
A heart of faith -- that I may abide in Thee. (100)

35. The "unheard-of" -- to be in the hand of God.
Once again a reminder that this is all that remains for you to live for -- and once more the feeling of disappointment which shows how slow you are to learn. (100)

Markings, Part 6 (told you there were a lot...and this is only a sample!)

2011-09-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

What are these Markings?

26. April 7, 1953 "Their lives grounded in and sustained by God, they are incapable of any kind of pride; because they give back to God all the benefits He has bestowed on them, they do not glorify each other, but do all things to the Glory of God alone." (Thomas Aquinas) (91)

27. In your attempt to break down the boundaries of a personality, you are building a new prison for yourself. (92)

28. If only I may grow: firmer, simpler -- quieter, warmer. (93)

29. The pride of the cup is in the drink, its humility in the serving. What, then, do its defects matter? (95)

30. With all the powers of your body concentrated in the hand on the tiller,
All the powers of your mind concentrated on the goal beyond the horizon,
You laugh as the salt spray catches your face in the second of rest
Before a new wave --
Sharing the happy freedom of the moment with those who share your responsibility.
So -- in the self-forgetfulness of concentrated attention -- the door opens for you into a pure living intimacy,
A share, timeless happiness,
Conveyed by a smile,
A wave of the hand.

Thanks to those who have taught me this. Thanks to the days which have taught me this.

Markings, Part 5

2011-09-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

Giving credit where credit is due.

21. Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for. (85)

22. ‎How ridiculous, this need of yours to communicate! Why should it mean so much to you that at least one person has seen the inside of your life? Why should you write down all this, for yourself, to be sure --perhaps, though, for others as well? (87)

23. "--Night is drawing nigh--"
For all that has been -- Thanks!
To all that shall be -- Yes! (89)

24. Goodness is something so simple: always to live for others, never to seek one's own advantage. (89)

25. Not I, but God in me. (90)

Brief break from Dag for a curious verse (or two)

2011-09-05T15:49:00.002-04:00

Skimming through the book of Acts to see what it has to say about the Holy Spirit (hint: a lot), and came across these verses. What do you think they mean?

Acts 8:14-17 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Markings, Part 4

2011-09-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

If you're just tuning in...

16. He came with his little girl. She wore her best frock. You noticed what good care she took of it. Others noticed too -- idly noticed that, last year, it had been the best frock on another little girl.
In the morning sunshine it had been festive. Now most people had gone home. The balloon sellers were counting the day's takings. Even the sun had followed their example, and retired to rest behind a cloud. So the place looked rather bleak and deserted when he came with his little girl to taste the joy of Spring and warm himself in the freshly polished Easter sun.
But she was happy. They both were. They had learned a humility of which you still have no conception. A humility which never makes comparisons, never rejects what there is for the sake of something "else" or something "more." (71)

17. He received -- nothing. But for that he paid more than others for their treasures. (77)

18. Work as an anesthetic against loneliness, books as a substitute for people -- ! You say you are waiting, that the door stands open. For what? People? Is not the Etna for which Empedocles is waiting, a fate beyond human companionship? (82)

19. Now you know. When the worries over your work loosen their grip, then this experience of light, warmth, and power. From without -- a sustaining element, like air to the glider or water to the swimmer. An intellectual hesitation which demands proofs and logical demonstration prevents me from "believing" in this, too. Prevents me from expressing and interpreting this reality in intellectual terms. Yet, through me there flashes this vision of a magnetic field in the soul, created in a timeless present by unknown multitudes, living in holy obedience, whose words and actions are a timeless prayer.
--The Communion of Saints" -- and -- within it -- and eternal life. (84)

20. Never, "for the sake of peace and quiet," deny your own experience or convictions. (84)

Markings, Part 3

2011-09-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

About

11. The little urchin makes a couple of feeble hops on one leg without falling down. And is filled with admiration at his dexterity, doubly so, because there are onlookers. Do we ever grow up? (56)

12. God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason. (56)

13. To be "sociable" -- to talk merely because convention forbids silence, to rub against one another in order to create the illusion of intimacy and contact: what an example of la condition humaine. Exhausting, naturally, like any improper use of our spiritual resources. (63)

14. To exist in the fleet joy of becoming, to be a channel for life as it flashes by in its gaiety and courage, cool water glittering in the sunlight -- in a world of sloth, anxiety, and aggression.
To exist for the future of others without being suffocated by their present. (67)

15. Dare he, for whom circumstances make it possible to realize his true destiny, refuse it simply because he is not prepared to give up everything else? (67)

Markings, Part 2

2011-09-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

About Markings.

6. What is one to do on a bleak day but drift for awhile through the streets -- drift with the stream?
Slowly, with the gravity of an inanimate object, now coming to a standstill, now turning, where currents meet, in listless leisurely gyrations. Slow -- and grey. The November day has reached the hour when the light is dying behind a low cold bank of cloud, but the twilight brings no promise of mitigation or peace.
Slow and grey -- He searches every face. But the people aimlessly streaming along the grey ditches of the streets are all like himself -- atoms in whom the radioactivity is extinct, and force has tied its endless chain around nothing. (24)

7. The one reaction was no less genuine than the other. We may be willing to turn our backs on life, but we still complain like children when life does not grant our wishes. (30)

8. At any rate, your contempt for your fellow human beings does not prevent you, with a well-guarded self-respect, from trying to win their respect. (41)

9. Only tell others what is of importance to them. Only ask them what you need to know. In both cases, that is, limit the conversation to what the speaker really possesses. -- Argue only in order to reach a conclusion. Think aloud only with those to whom this means something. Don't let small talk fill up the time and the silence except as a medium for bearing unexpressed messages between two people who are attuned to each other. A dietary for those who have learned by experience the truth of the saying, "For every idle word...." But hardly popular in social life. (44)

10. Hunger is my native place in the land of the passions.
Hunger for fellowship, hunger for righteousness -- for a fellowship founded on righteousness, and a righteousness attained in fellowship.
Only life can satisfy the demands of life. And this hunger of mine can be satisfied for the simple reason that the nature of life is such that I can only realize my individuality by becoming a bridge for others, a stone in the temple of righteousness.
Don't be afraid of yourself, live your individuality to the full -- but for the good of others. Don't copy others in order to buy fellowship, or make convention your law instead of living the righteousness.
To become free and responsible. For this alone was man created, and he who fails to take the Way which could have been his shall be lost eternally. (53)

Dag Hammarskjöld's Markings

2011-09-02T11:24:00.002-04:00

Just a few days ago, I discovered Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961). Since then, I've been perusing through his book of thoughts, prayers, and poetry and loving it. It's going to be no fun trying to un-dog-ear every single page before taking it back to the library (a sure sign that eventually I will probably buy this book).

I thought, perhaps I will go through and blog a little something from each page that I dog-earred. But that would be a really long post, and I fear no one would read the whole thing. So instead, I will post a few quotes over the course of many posts (also, I've been dying to try the "schedule" feature listed under "post settings" to see if I could type this all today, but have it post over the course of the next week or so. Imagine that. A week's worth of blogging all in one sitting! Could be revolutionary.).

Anyway. Some of his stuff is sort of depressing, but not all of it is! And some of it is spot. on. Others I am still thinking about.

Enjoy.

1. (From the forward about Hammarskjöld) In addition to the success which his talents and industry win for him, his life, to the outward eye, is exceptionally fortunate. He has never known poverty, he enjoys excellent health, and, as a citizen of a neutral country, he is spared the privations, sufferings, and horrors inflicted by the war upon the majority of people in Europe. Inwardly, however, in spite of all these advantages -- in part, perhaps, because of them -- there is great spiritual distress. (Page xiv)

2. (From the forward again) Further, though endowed with many brilliant gifts, not, I think, a genius, not, that is to say, a person with a single overwhelming talent and passion for some particular activity -- be it poetry or physics or bird-watching -- which determines, usually early in life, exactly what his function on earth is to be. (xiv)

3. Isn't the void which surrounds you when the noise ceases your just reward for a day devoted to preventing others from neglecting you? (12)

4. How can you expect to keep your powers of hearing when you never want to listen? That God should have time for you, you seem to take as much for granted as that you cannot have time for him. (12)

5. If you don't speak ill of others more often than you do, this certainly isn't from any lack of desire. But you know that malice only gives you elbowroom when dispensed in carefully measured doses. (15)

Relearning a language you never knew is hard.

2011-09-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

You know how, when someone whose third language is English is returning to their international school, and they say they've "lost" some of their English over the summer, or they're starting to get English headaches after the first couple days back? And you think, wow, they must be super smart to be studying in a language that isn't their first. They must really think highly of that school if they would go there despite it not being taught in their first language.
Or, you know how, when a seminarian is going back to class after the summer, and worries that they've forgotten all of their Greek or Hebrew. You think, well, Greek and Hebrew are tough, so I can understand not remembering it all...but I'm sure it will come back to you faster than it did the first time around.
These are the illustrations and responses I want people to keep in mind when I say that I'm worried I forgot all of my "Anglican language" over the summer. Here's to another September where I don't know what page we're on in the Prayer Book.

Process Centered Ministry...aka...Simple Church

2011-08-31T23:13:00.000-04:00

Wowzas. Blogger has a new interface, and I'm still getting used to it.

Ok. Now that that's out of the way, here is a brief review on the book Simple Church. I know I said I would only do a review if it were super awesome. Well, in some ways it is, and in other ways it isn't...but I thought I would do one anyway, for the way it got me thinking.

It's definitely not a book for everyone. Average Joe on the street probably has no interest in reading this book. That is fine. The intended audience is those in church leadership (though I would maybe recommend it for anyone who was in some sort of leadership role in any ministry, not just a church).

The book itself is not so much a way to start/make a "simple church" as it is a way to get yourself organized into having a really good discipleship...process. The definition they work with is:
A simple church is designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.
The leadership and the church are clear about the process (clarity) and are committed to executing it. The process flows logically (movement) and is implemented in each area of the church (alignment).
The church abandons everything that is not in the process (focus).
(Page 68-69).
Basically the book then goes at great length to unpack that definition, with the four parenthetical words: clarity, movement, alignment and focus being the main idea throughout.

Let's start out with some negatives (so that you end this review with some hope):
Negatory
I read through some of the negative reviews on amazon of this book (as I always do), and wasn't too swayed by them. Based on what they said, the reviewers either did not read the book (one reviewer started out by saying, "I haven't read the book but..." um, yeah, you just discredited yourself as a reviewer....but I digress), or they didn't fully get on board with the process their church went with (which the book stresses that everyone (in leadership at the very least) has to be on board).

The main negative that I found was that I felt they were really repetitive and long-winded at times. I mean, it took until page 68 to get the above definition, and then they go on and on and on and on about what they mean, and why they mean it, and how they mean it, etc. The book, not counting appendices and notes is 265 pages long, and all about the above definition, basically. It is a book that is talking about the results of their research, though, so I suppose you could expect it to be a bit dry and repetitive at times. At some times, I felt like the authors were standing next to me while I was reading...one reading aloud what I was already reading, and the other hitting me over the head with his copy of the book. (ironically, this "brief" review is getting a bit long-winded itself. It is what it is).
Positivo
All that said, my mind was going a mile a minute while I read this, and I underlined a lot, and interacted in the margins. It just made so much sense to me. It was stuff I think I might have already had an idea about, but never articulated. Basically, a church (or ministry, or organization, or business, etc) needs to have a clear, easy to remember/understand mission statement. The staff at this place needs to all be on board with it (if they aren't, then don't hire them), so that it can be implemented as the over-arching theme/culture of the place. Programs that don't fit into the grand scheme of things are cut.

The "movement" part of this is more difficult for me to fit neatly into the above sentence (but it is still important). I need to use an example, maybe, to illustrate. Basically the mission statement is also indicative of the process (or as the book said, the purpose is the process....or something like that). So, if your mission statement is: "Love God, Love Others, Serve the World" (yes, I'm borrowing this from the book), the elements of your programming should follow that order. People shouldn't be in a service group before they're even attending a worship service. The order of the mission statement suggests that people start by attending a worship service, then move to something like a small group, and then serve together with people in the small group. Make sense? If not, just read the book. They dedicate pages and pages to explaining it.

Anyway, I couldn't stop thinking about how I would apply this book to a certain ministry. One of my top five strengths is futuristic, so you can see how this would be right up my alley. The thing that surprised me, was that no matter how hard I tried, I could only imagine applying it to this ministry, a ministry of my past. So who knows what the Lord is trying to tell me there. We shall see!

Anyway, this is one of those books that I will certainly keep as a reference. It did inspire me to want to go out and change the world (but, I am easily inspired some days) and implement some of the ideas in the book. I think for some ministries, this will be a difficult task, especially for those set in their ways. Change is hard. In all aspects of life (if it were easy, people would stop doing things that they know are bad for them).

Ok. Thanks for reading this "brief" review. I'm still thinking about this book. I'm not sure of what way I will use it. I hope I get to.

Excuses, excuses, and a discovery.

2011-08-30T00:30:00.000-04:00

Based on the number of days left in August, and the plans for those days, and the number of posts left to make 31...I might not make it. Now let's not get all Pharisaical about this. The important thing is that I blogged frequently in August. Also, how on earth am I supposed to start going to bed early when midnight arrives so quickly out of the blue! I need to start setting an alarm for 9pm, so I can go to bed on time.
Also, today I discovered Dag Hammarskjöld. I was looking for quotes about loneliness (I'm not lonely currently, but I have been in the past, and was reflecting on it...I wanted to find something like, "The only cure for loneliness is to realize that other people might be lonely too, and reach out to them." But I couldn't find it. Or, I stopped looking), and found this one:
‎"Never, 'for the sake of peace and quiet,' deny your own experience or convictions. The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indifference of others. Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for. Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was." Dag Hammarskjöld

So I did a little bit of research and found that Geneva's library has this book that was published after his untimely death (this description is better of the book, I think). So I immediately walked over and checked it out. I am only a little ways into the forward, but I already like it!

Brunch of champions.

2011-08-28T14:00:00.001-04:00

This morning after church we were HUNGRY (hadn't eaten breakfast....and the sermon was all about being full of the spirit. But there were some illustrations about being full of food to help remind us how hungry we were).

So we came home and made a leisurely brunch of champions. We both had some sort of eggs and toast and coffee, and it was so delicious and of course got me to thinking*.

Clearly we ate it all long before I thought to take a picture. Was good though. I had scrambled eggs with spinach and onions, toast with butter and jelly, and coffee with milk and cinnamon. Steve had soft boiled eggs with toast and butter, and black coffee.

What if I treated breakfast like something that was as mandatory as getting to work/school/church on time? Normally my routine is to roll out of bed, shower (if there's time), and grab some sort of lame breakfast on my way out the door to eat in the car (if there's time). Our first year in Lithuania, there was a yummy bakery on the way to school (well, it's probably still there) that I would stop at and get some pastries to eat as I walked the half-hour to work. That's only one half step up from eating a bagel or a granola bar in the car. Now of course this may just be my recent self-improvement kick talking, but something about this has got to change. I've come far enough where I actually like breakfast, and want it (which wasn't always the case). Now I just want it where it isn't rushed and it is complete. Whether it is a delicious toast and eggs type of meal, or a shake, I am going to have to remind myself that I think it is worth getting up an extra hour or hour and a half early to sit and eat breakfast. Granted I am able to say this now, when it isn't extra early in the morning, and when the sun is shining through the window. It's not always like that, I hear, in the early morning.

The only steps I can think to do to make this happen are to:

1. Go to bed a couple hours earlier.

2. Just suck it up and do it until sitting down to eat breakfast becomes as mandatory as brushing my teeth.

We shall see.

*Got me to thinking. The English language is so weird.

Top Three Things I Have Liked Online This Week

2011-08-25T17:09:00.000-04:00

3. Great Depression Cooking
This is just wonderful and precious. My brother shared a video of Clara's with me, and then I went and watched a few more. I love listening to her stories about what it was like to live through the great depression (puts our "boo-hoo, I can't afford netflix" recession woes to shame!). I love how her recipes use mainly onions and potatoes. I will certainly be watching more in the future (how wonderful for her family to have these videos of her!).
Here's the one that got me hooked:

2. Toronto Christmas Market
Ever since spending the two Christmases we were in Europe in beautiful Tallinn, Estonia, I have loved Christmas markets. Though we were exceptionally blessed to be with family this past Christmas, I secretly wondered how we could try to make it to both Estonia and to our family (did not happen). After visiting Toronto over Easter, we discovered that Toronto has a Christmas market, and it is only 5 hours north of us! Score! This year for Christmas, all I want for my present is to spend a couple days in Toronto at the Christmas market (in addition to seeing family).

1. This musical masterpiece.
I don't know why this 25 seconds of pure genius has resonated with me so much. By the time I tried to show it to Steve I had already seen it a few times, but was in tears when it was over. Enjoy.

With under a week left to blog 31 times in August, I'm going to have to step up my game.

2011-08-25T15:54:00.001-04:00

The other day I got an email from the library, reminding me that my two books were due back this Saturday. At first I thought, well this means I need to get reading. I had already promised (sadly 10 days ago) that I would have a review for one of the books, The Pillars of the Earth, soon. Well, last night I finished the first chapter, and then fell asleep for another 12 hours. Don't get me wrong, it is an enjoyable book so far...I am just not reading it as often or as quickly as I would like. Still not sure what prompted me to sleep for that long. In this scenario, I am neither an early bird nor a late night owl. I guess I will have to settle for being an afternoon...lark.
So this morning, after feeling particularly unproductive, I decided that I would go check to see if my textbooks were in the mail, and then head to Starbucks to sip my coffee and read (I am less likely to fall asleep while sitting at Starbucks and reading. Not sure if it is because of the coffee, the fact that I am usually sitting upright, or that falling asleep in public (outside of riding on an airplane or a bus or a train) is generally frowned upon. By me.). My plan B, if the books weren't there, was to head to Starbucks and read the Bible for class, and then maybe blog about it. For my class on the Holy Spirit, some of the reading that needs to get done before the first class is to read through the book of Acts, while thinking about the question "Who is the Holy Spirit?"
Well, my books did arrive in the mail (hooray! I love to get books in the mail!)...but in addition to my textbooks, I also ordered a non-textbook (though still thought-provoking and educational in nature), one that had been recommended at the conference I attended in June. So of course I chose to take that book to Starbucks to sit and read (not my textbooks. Not my Bible. Not the library books that are due on Saturday (though I did just renew them, so I can procrastinate for two more weeks)).
It is so refreshing. I have only read the first chapter so far, but I will probably sit and read more as soon as I am done writing this blogpost. What's the book called, you ask? Well, thank you for asking. It is called Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples, by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger. So far they have introduced that research (strongly) suggests that thriving churches are those that follow a simple plan...providing people opportunities to be the church....and churches that are merely offering a ton of programs are dead...they are offering people opportunities to do church.
Here are some quotes I liked from the first chapter:
"At thirty thousand feet Pastor Rush is thinking of people in his church. He is praying and thinking. Some tough questions are emerging. Are the people in his church being transformed? Is his church making real disciples, the kind of disciples Jesus made? Or is everyone just busy?" (Page 7)
"First, we are not suggesting that the simple approach to ministry is a change in doctrine or conviction. Thom has written several books on the primacy of sound, biblical, and orthodox doctrine in growing churches. On that issue we do not compromise.
Second, we are not saying that churches should become simple because it is in style or culturally hip. A revolution goes against the cultural grain. Churches that are simple are not mirroring the culture. They are not mimicking the world in order to reach the world.
In fact, the opposite is true. You must get this." (Page 14-15)
"Something must change, but Pastor Rush is struggling with where to begin. He understands the what. He has a sense of what the church should be doing. He believes the church should be committed to evangelism, prayer, helping people build relationships with believers, seeing people grow deeper, serving, and worship.
He also has a sense of why. He deeply desires to see God glorified. He struggles with the how. One burning question has entered his mind: How can we structure all of this to come together to make disciples?" (Page 22)
and
"To have a simple church, you must design a simple discipleship process. This process must be clear. It must move people toward maturity. It must be integrated fully into your church, and you must get rid of the clutter around it.
It is much easier to write and read that paragraph that to make it happen." (Page 26)

After I am done reading this book, maybe I will have another blog post about it...but don't hold your breath unless the book turns out to be super-awesome (hopefully it will be!).

Feeling saucy. Another picture story.

2011-08-22T23:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was given some peppers and mushrooms, so naturally today I thought I would make some mass quantities of pizza sauce.

I went to the Farmer's Market here in town, which is open on Monday afternoons/evenings and got a lot of tomatoes.

Had to do these in a couple of batches. I boiled the tomatoes to make them softer for when I put them in the blender. Also, it makes it easier to take the skins off if you boil them (though, I decided that it was too much work to take all the skins off....so I left the skins on about 3/4 of them. The internet said it would be ok, and that it was a matter of personal preference.

Lovely red blended tomatoes.

Added some salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.

Meanwhile, sauteing peppers, onions, garlic, etc

Blended the peppers/onions/garlic, and poured that into the mix.

The key ingredient. Finely chop, and then saute. Do not put in blender.

Like this.

At this point I realize that I will not be able to fit the small amount of leftover sauce that I intended to add to this, as well as the tomato paste....so I get the next biggest pot, which also happens to be the canning pot.

Much better.

Plenty of room.

Bring to boil, stirring a lot. Then let simmer for at least 15 minutes. Stir often.

Helps to have this handy device for putting the sauce into jars.

Tada! The tupperware is for the sauce that we will use sometime this week. Plus I used up all my jars.

Getting reading to be sealed. The little one wouldn't fit.

Almost done. Have to sit on this towel for 12 hours.

I wonder how long this will last?

Shakes.

2011-08-22T15:41:00.003-04:00

Over the summer, I have been trying to incorporate healthier foods into my diet (I haven't really thoughtfully eliminated any foods yet, but you've got to start somewhere).
Now, perhaps you know that my favorite breakfasts ever were those we were served in Germany. Some sort of bread/roll with a cream-cheese-garlic/herb spread, cheese, and coffee. I wanted so badly to adopt that meal plan for every morning of the rest of my life. Actually, I still do.
But the more I read, the more I am convinced that I need to be eating more fruits and vegetables (yes, I've seen a food pyramid before, and yes, I've seen the newest food circle, blah blah blah), and less sugary, white-bready, pasta-y foods (or, I need to be in search of things labeled 100% Whole Grain).
Now, I know this is not all new information. But up until lately (or over the last few months), I haven't been convinced that I need to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle, even though all the rest of the fat Americans do. Just like most smokers who don't live under a rock must know that smoking is bad for you and others, you still have to want to quit smoking in order to even try to quit smoking. I have to want to eat healthier in order to actually start eating healthier (not just to stay thin, but to be healthy).
Well folks, I'm not sure what or who intrigued me to study what it means to eat healthier, but I feel like I am on that road, and I am actually liking it. So far. I still haven't really eliminated that much sugar. But what I have done is started to make shakes (or...smoothies?), so that I can get my daily serving of fruits/vegetables in a relatively pain-free way (eating fruit is not as enjoyable taste-wise for me as it is for others, but I'm getting better).
My brother, who is way into eating healthy these days, sent me this recipe, which I have since modified in various ways. I try to drink some of this stuff daily!

Here's the original recipe:
1 cup blueberries (can use frozen blueberries)
1 banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup honey bunches of oats
1 tbsp flaxseed
1 1/2 cup skim or 1% milk
2 ice cubes
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
Blend and drink.

I of course made it this way the first few times (and it was yumm), but then modified it for my liking (or to what ingredients I had laying around).
For one, I tend not to measure any of the ingredients too much, just eye it up for the most part. Instead of flaxseed, I add a tbsp of flaxseed oil (this I actually do measure out, because it is so darn expensive compared to the other ingredients). It is good for your hair, skin, and nails (and who doesn't want good hair, skin, and nails?). Sometimes instead of milk, I will add coffee. I will often add some coffee or blueberry flavored yogurt. I also always throw in a couple handfuls of spinach (of course), and the protein whey I scoop in is Vanilla flavored. Other than that, I stick to the recipe pretty closely. Oh, and the honey bunches of oats also has almonds in it. And I just recently started using some healthified organic peanut butter, which tastes pretty good considering sugar is not the main ingredient.

Health in a blender. Watch it spin round to a beautiful oblivion.

The only drinking vessel that my yummy shake will fit in is this hefty Švyturys 1 liter beer stein. Švyturys is brewed in my Lithuanian hometown of Klaipeda.

Even with all that spinach, it still turns a pretty purply color. Sometimes I can drink it all in one morning, and other times I split it into two days' worth of shakes.

Things that were visually appealing to me today.

2011-08-19T00:30:00.000-04:00

Accordion steps.

Cute coffee shop.

Baby you got a stew going.

2011-08-16T20:16:00.005-04:00

Memory is a funny thing. I can remember how to make just about any drink at Starbucks (or, at least the drinks from 3-5 years ago), but I can't remember what presents Steve and I exchanged last Christmas. I can remember certain test questions that I got wrong over 10 years ago (though at the time of taking the test, I couldn't remember the answer to the question, apparently). I have the tendency to hold grudges, but once I've made up my mind to forgive, I also am able to forget (at least for petty things....and most things are petty things).
The other day, Steve and his staff spent a day at this farm (I think), learning a lot about how important it is to know where our food comes from. They also learned how to de-feather and de-head chickens. It was a hands-on learning experience. When I saw the pictures from their day, I declared that I would certainly become a vegetarian. I mean sure, I love bacon, and don't like berries or fish (and whatever else vegetarians must eat), but I'm sure I could become a vegetarian if I put my mind to it.

Steve, holding a chicken's head, prior to cutting it off and spraying blood on his arm.

Fast forward to yesterday/today. I had just read this blog, which reminded me that a while ago I had read this blog...and of course I got inspired to make my own chicken stock (completely forgetting how just days before I had declared that I would be a vegetarian).
Soon, both Geneva and Trinity will provide a lot of our meals, so grocery shopping is probably going to become nearly obsolete (with the exception of breakfast foods, because we're too lazy to walk to school and eat breakfast, most days). Sure, we usually cook for ourselves on the weekends, but still. Grocery shopping is a lot different during the school-year than in the summertime. So, we are incredibly blessed to be fed. The chicken stock will come in handy during breaks, when we have to fend for ourselves, food-wise. It's also during these times when our bodies tend to shut down and we get sick, so things made with chicken stock will come in handy!

Now, maybe you know that I can't just take a recipe for what it says on the page, I have to make it my own (with the exception of baking....I think there is a science to baking that you shouldn't mess with too much).

So, I took some advice from the above two blogs, but I didn't follow it exactly. I went to the store and bought an already cooked whole chicken (because, for $4.99, you can't beat that). I took it home, ripped it apart, pulling the meat from the bones and then throwing everything that wasn't edible (in my opinion) into the pot (I almost became a vegetarian 5-6 times during this process. I don't do meat on the bone well). I then threw in whatever onion we already had cut up (maybe like 3/4 cup?), a bunch of baby carrots, whatever celery we had in the fridge (maybe...4-5 stalks, leaves and all), a couple handfuls of spinach, and two cloves of garlic. Then I filled the pot until it was about half full of water (or, so most things were covered...there were still a few chicken bones peaking out), and added two glugs of apple cider vinegar.

After it started boiling, I transferred the whole thing to a crock pot, seasoned it (tons of parsley, a little sage, and a little thyme. Sorry Simon and Garfunkel, but I just don't like Rosemary all that much), and left it on low for about 4 hours. It helps in this situation if you have errands to run. 1) so that the time passes faster, and 2) so that your nose doesn't become used to how good the stock smells, and when you get home you will be greeted with deliciousness.

When the 4 hours was nearly up, I realized that I really have no clue what to do with chicken stock once it is done (I mean, yes, put it in the freezer....but should you measure it out? How much do you measure out? What does one even use chicken stock for, outside of soup? And even then, how much do you use?). Luckily the internet came to my rescue again. After reading a couple of these recipes, I decided that I would measure out the stock cup by cup, and store it in the freezer in my reused sandwich meat containers (of which we have billions).

A little over 5 cups of chicken stock.

After scooping out the flavored water and putting it into the freezer, I thought the ingredients still looked good.

Well, as good as chicken innards and veggies that have been soaking all day can look. It certainly smelled good.

I had read here that if you like being frugal (and I do like the idea of being frugal), you can reuse the ingredients that you used in the first batch to make more batches. So I threw everything back into the crock, added 6 cups of water, and now we're on to round two. Not sure if I should let this batch sit for longer, or if it won't matter. Apparently you can make stock until the bones just about dissolve. I am not sure that I will take it that far. Our freezer is only so big.

Round 2. I'm listening to Simon and Garfunkel and just realized that I didn't add any more seasonings to this batch. Oh well. Whatever soup I make in the future will probably have more added.

Default

2011-08-15T20:03:00.000-04:00

I am without a picture or too many thoughts right now. Or, without too many organized thoughts. I have been thinking about this lately, but not enough to blog about it yet. Life has been weird these last couple of days*. Steve is exceptionally busy, and I am exceptionally not busy. Looking forward to September, when it will even out and we will both be moderately busy.
I checked out the book Pillars of the Earth from the library the other day, with hopes of having a book review for this blog. And I will. But the book is like a million pages long, so it might be awhile.
Cheers.

*All of August

Niagara Falls. It looks like the way past, but it is only a couple of weeks ago.

2011-08-14T11:31:00.000-04:00

Taken from the Maid of the Mist, July 2011

Church Rush

2011-08-14T10:44:00.001-04:00

Describes....

A) The trip to church that includes racing through yellow lights and generally getting frustrated with those who are driving slower than you....because you are running late.
B) That feeling you get when you are connecting with the lyrics, or the sermon, or the fellowship, etc while worshiping corporately.
C) The line at Starbucks (which is across the street) post-church, where coffee and fellowship happen there more than with the free cookies and coffee provided by the church.
D) All of the Above, on any given Sunday

Beautiful Movie

2011-08-14T01:24:00.002-04:00

Tonight I wanted to watch a movie. No big deal, right? Wrong.
We recently mourned the loss of our first tv we ever bought by buying a newer, bigger, flatter, HDer tv (how's that for adjective order?). This is exciting, except for whatever reason, if you want to watch a movie, you have to unplug something that has to do with the cable box and replace those plugs with something that has to do with the dvd player. For some reason, you just can't have it both ways. You can't toggle back and forth between watching House Hunters International and a movie. Normally Steve is the one who deals with this, so no need to learn it.
You may be thinking, "But Laura, didn't you major in hooking up things to a tv?" Well, it's true, I did. But I found out too late in the game that I really wasn't into it, unfortunately. Perhaps my first clue should've been that the main classes I wanted to take were Story-Telling and Screenwriting. And I loved classes that talked about film. I like* movies (um, hello. This is a post about me wanting to watch a movie). I like photography. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I discovered too late that I probably should've majored in English, or Writing, or Art (which is what I really like about film....and life in general), because I wasn't really into producing movies, or tv/radio shows, or the news, etc....I don't have a knack for things that have to do with cords or really any of the equipment needed for electronic media production. Anyway. That was a long time ago. And really, no matter what, I would've gone to seminary, which is where I am at now. The Lord knows where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing even if I don't.
Ok, back to me wanting to watch a movie. Steve is away at a retreat all weekend, so he isn't here to do all the things that one needs to do when they want to watch a movie in our apartment. And we've already reviewed the embarrassment that is me, not knowing how to hook it up.
Anyway, I sent a text to Steve, hoping he would have time to respond, and then searched on google for some possible instructions. While there were plenty of instructions for plenty of different scenarios, I didn't feel like any of them really covered what I was looking for. And I hadn't heard from Steve yet, so I just decided to play around with it until the movie was not only playing but also the sound working. I took a picture of how everything was plugged in, so I could put it back to the way it was if all else failed (and, if all else failed, I was ready to just go ahead and watch the movie on the computer...but why watch a movie on a computer when you have one of those big flat tvs?).
Short story long, after several trial and errors, I finally worked it out so that all the right things were either plugged in or not plugged in, and I could watch/hear my movie. Sweet, personal victory.
The movie I watched is a favorite, Away We Go. We rented it and watched sometime last year, and then went out immediately and bought it. Somehow when I went to watch it tonight, it was still in its plastic. I am sure that I posted something on this blog about liking it, but can't find it anywhere (so no idea when we actually watched/bought it...but probably last summer?).
Anyway, I really, really like it, and was reminded of it again tonight. I would wholeheartedly recommend it (though with some qualifications: it is definitely not a kids movie. For mature audiences only. Some F-words, and sexual talk. No nudity or violence that I can remember. Anyway).

Here are 5 things that I really like:
1. The soundtrack. Especially all the songs by Alexi Murdoch. And the always catchy "What Is Life" by George Harrison.
2. Beautifully shot. Or, at least I think so.
3. I love the characters of Burt and Verona. I want to see them find their "home."
4. All-start cast: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney (I love Allison Janney! She plays a sort of outrageous character in this movie, but I love her anyway), Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Melanie Lynsky...etc! Touching performance by Chris Messina.
5. There's a realness to this movie. Parts that make you laugh, and parts that make you cry.

Exchanging vows on a trampoline.

*When learning the Lithuanian language, we learned that it is grammatically wrong to say things like "I love coffee" or "I love this movie." You love people. Not things. So I've tried to be aware of that. Sometimes.

Some faves

2011-08-13T23:54:00.001-04:00

I am sitting here trying to find a blogpost from the past and therefore rereading old blogposts. It is a quite nice way to take up some time, though I am unsuccessful in finding the post I want to find. I probably deleted it or something. Oh well.

Anyway, here are some ones that I particularly liked, even though they weren't what I was looking for:

3. Searching for a song. It was driving me crazy!
2. Found the song! Still love.
1. The analogy still holds strong.

Edit: And this....Bucket List of sorts

Hula-hooping is the poorman's treadmill.

2011-08-12T17:13:00.000-04:00

You may or may not remember that a few months ago I decided I would try to work out on a regular basis (well, I mean, I tried last summer too...and a few years back....but this time I really meant it). You may remember that I tried out Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. While I have no real complaints about it (other than I hate jumping-jacks), I couldn't see myself making it a habit (as in, once 30 days was up, and I had mastered all the modified workouts, I couldn't see myself doing it for the next 80 years). And really, I didn't want to lose the 20 pounds it said I would (I didn't). All I really wanted to do was find some sort of workout routine that I enjoyed, that was low cost/ low maintenance, and would qualify for my "30 minutes a day." I am in it for the feel-good hormones that working out provides, and the long-term health benefits. And also so my pants aren't so tight. But really for health.
Anyway, shortly after I "completed" the shred, I read somewhere that Hula-hooping is a legitimate form of exercising. Good cardio. Burns calories. Works the muscles in one's torso and thighs. Etc. Really, what more could I ask for? Plus, I am a really good hula-hooper. There has never been a time where I remember not being able to hula-hoop.
So, I went out and bought a hula-hoop for five bucks, figuring, if it was just too silly to hula-hoop for 30 minutes a day in my living room, I was only out five dollars, and could probably easily find a kid somewhere who wanted the hula hoop.
Turns out, I have a high tolerance for what's silly, because I have kept up with it all summer!

Top Five Reasons Why Hula-Hooping Is My Main Form of Formal Exercise:
5. Inexpensive
4. Doesn't take up a lot of space (seriously, we have a tiny living room, and I manage just fine with out knocking anything over while hula-hooping).
3. You can watch TV or read a non-school book pretty easily while hula-hooping, making 30 minutes fly by.
2. While Jillian seems to think that my upper body needs to be toned, it's really the middle part that needs the most work, which is exactly what hula-hooping focuses on.
1. It is low impact, and I don't have to wear any sort of athletic gear (shoes, sports bra, etc) to hula hoop. I can just roll out of bed and hula hoop if I want to.

A recent picture of me hula-hooping. Well, the most recent I could find. My haircut and sense of style are the same as when I was 4, so does it really matter?

Churchy church

2011-08-11T13:17:00.002-04:00

After much searching, we think that we've found a church that we will stay at for a while. Though, we've thought this before...but you have to save a little room for hope. I hope we've found a church that we will stay at for awhile.

This is a church in our neighborhood...but not our church.

The past few years of searching has been an interesting ride. We've gone to several different churches for several months at a time, worshiped in styles different than what we were used to (we're not just talking about music here people), and met many people that we still know (or, at least, on social media). We've learned a lot. Ultimately, positive things aside, we are looking for a church to call home.

But what are the essentials of finding a church? What are merely details? There is a fine line, for some.
Here are some things that people might look for in a church (which would you say are essential?):

A pastor/priest/vicar/etc that preaches/teaches the Gospel. From the Bible.
Good fellowship.
Theological agree-ability (like, do you think infants should be baptized, dedicated, or left in the nursery? how uncomfortable will it make you if you attend a church that does things differently than you would?)
Having a pastor
Having a pastor that recognizes that (s)he hasn't met you yet (or, is it a deal breaker if there is the "(s)"?)
Ways to get involved in the church community (missions, Bible studies, outreach, Sunday School etc)
Style agree-ability (liturgical, or not? contemporary or traditional? dress or jeans?)
Friendly people
Variety in generations/age groups/stages of life (will it bother you if there are no families in the church? or if there are no single people? etc)
close to home (proximity....how long does it take you to get to church? can you walk?)
Age of the church (would you rather go to a church plant or one that's been around for 100+ years?)
Size of the church (not the building per se, though that might be important too...but the number of people)
Is it a thriving church? Or one that can use some work?
Does it provide opportunities to be mentored? To mentor others?
What time does church start? How many services are offered?
ETC ETC ETC!

We've thought through some of these more than others. Sometimes you can have a list of essentials, or what you think are essentials, but then just have a feeling about a place. Sometimes the feeling is wrong.

Sorry for such generalities, but I honestly don't know who reads this blog. I don't want to incriminate any of the churches that we no longer attend (over the past 5 years we've regularly attended an E-free church, a Southern Baptist church, a Mennonite leaning church (well, it didn't really have a pastor/denomination, but a lot of the folks who attended came from that flavor, so that was the style), and an Anglican church). Make whatever judgements you want, though most of our reasons for no longer attending these churches have little to do with the denomination (well, for the most part). Having grown up Conservative Baptist (Steve) and Evangelical Covenant (me), you can see that each one of these would have something different than what we were used to.

Over the summer, we have been attending this church. So far, we really like it! They preach from the Bible, there are many generations of people that attend, the style is sort of middle of the road (not too this, not too that), the people are friendly, the pastor is friendly, there seem to be many ways to be involved (more so when the school year starts), they are involved in missions, they are thriving, etc etc etc!

I guess it really comes down to is, why do we go to church in the first place? How does this drive our expectations? Is it ok to be picky about a church, or should we just suck it up and attend one...and get involved so that we can create the culture we're looking for? Or a mix of both?

Alright. This is long-winded. I really just wanted to announce that we've found a church that we like.

What you see isn't always what you get.

2011-08-10T13:42:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that HGTV is the background to my life these days. It is probably not good for my already dreaming heart to watch House Hunters International, but I indulge anyway. My favorite episodes are when people happen upon a heap of rubbish house with many needed renovations but a good view, and decide to buy it, because they see it as an opportunity to make it their own, or to get away from it all, or because they are visionaries and love this sort of project.
One of the shows on HGTV that makes me nervous is Get It Sold, where people who have been having a difficult time selling their house get tips on how to make their house appear better. I should say, I'm not necessarily against when they do obvious things on the show, like cleaning, and adding furniture to rooms to show potential. I'm even not opposed to adding some paint to walls to make a room more inviting. What makes me nervous is when they start spray-painting refrigerators to make them match other kitchen appliances, sticking fake veneer-ish tiles to the kitchen floor to give it that nice tiled look, and spray-painting the brown patches on the grass to make the yard look green. I know these folks are probably low on time and money, but I would hate to buy a house only to find out that certain things only appeared to be what they were (whether the kitchen floor is ugly underneath the fake tile, or when the fake tile starts pealing away, I the new owner am going to have to replace the kitchen floor eventually...resenting the fact that the previous owner had pulled the wool over my eyes. Maybe that's why House Hunters International is much more appealing. Those buyers know when they're getting a pile of crap -- and they buy it anyway. People, I think, like to know what they're getting into (though, if you are having a hard time selling your house, maybe take some advice and do some legitimate fixes that would be more appealing to a buyer, instead of trying to hide blemishes).

Sure, you could spray paint the front of this house to up its curb appeal...

...but it doesn't change the fact that it has no floor....

...or back wall. Did I mention that it's lakeshore property though?

Get It Sold would take this birdhouse and add a fake back wall and floor, and spray paint the whole thing a pleasant color. Maybe even add a curtain to a window they fashioned with paint. HH International would say, "It is what it is. But it has a lot of potential and is in a great location." Which one would you rather buy (though they are essentially the same house)?

On this same note, I recently just finished the book Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society, by Tim Willard and Jason Locy. I have mixed feelings about this book. I would definitely not be against you reading it. But it was definitely one of those books where sometimes the authors hit the nail on the head, and sometimes they missed it. Or they just hit it in a different way than I would have (this analogy is falling apart). I agree that we as humans like to put up walls (Veneer) and appear a certain way to keep up with societal norms/the Joneses....and that we as Christians have been called to something more extraordinary. But the third quarter of the book just seems so flowery and floaty and....kind of blog-like in its style. There were times when I wanted to write an argument in the margins (but, it is not my book to do that with...it was laying in our apartment because Steve was reading it for a book study. Laura has ample amount of time and sees a book lying around...she's going to read it). I also wondered at times how someone who wasn't well-versed in the Bible would read it in comparison to someone who is. I wonder who would like the book more?

Anyway, it's a pretty quick read, and if you're strapped with time, maybe just read the first few chapters and then skip to chapter 10 and read to the end. You could still get inspired to live a more authentic life, in both your relationship with God, and with others (love God, love your neighbor) by reading this abbreviated version. Just like I would rather buy a house that has obvious problems over a house that has hidden problems, so too would people rather have relationships with others who are not hiding something. Community. Authenticity. All words we like to throw around, but it is easier said than done. There is probably some sort of an analogy about a Carpenter I could throw in there, but I won't.

Cutting Coops

2011-08-10T00:17:00.002-04:00

For the past few Sundays, we've been buying a Sunday paper in order to try cutting coupons. I haven't kept track of our savings, but I do know that while they are kind of meager, they already exceed the cost spent on the Sunday papers. So that is a win. Recently I found out that I can register my Giant Eagle Card online and "cut" some coupons on there (and when I swipe my card at the store, if I've purchased one of the items that I "cut" a coupon for, it will automatically deduct the savings! I haven't gotten a chance to try that yet, because the internet is still down in our apartment....or should I say, it is down for my computer. It works on Steve's computer (which is what I am using now). Soon I will have to figure this out, so I don't have to keep using Steve's computer or going to coffeeshops to use their internet (um, hello. This is a post about saving money, not spending it all on coffee and free internets). Anyway. So that is exciting. I might actually go to a coffeeshop tomorrow and check it out.

Anyway, here is a list of things that I like about cutting coupons:
1. The grocery store will match any coupon under $1.00
2. It doesn't take that much time or energy at all
3. The only tools you need are a scissors and a little coupon carrying case (organizing them by month, so not only do you have a place to keep your coops, but you can also organize them so you don't miss when they expire).
4. You can apparently do it online (as mentioned above....I know that you can get coupons online and print them out....which I've tried.....but I'm not a huge fan because I still have to use my paper and my ink).
5. Just found out that our* church has a coupon exchange...box... (can't remember what it's called), so I can donate any coupons I'm not using and sift through and maybe find one that I can use and just take it! The past few weeks I've just tossed the coupons I don't think we'll use. This is much better.

What do you like about coupons? What don't you like? Or, do you even use coupons?

____

*oh man. I hope we can call it "our" church. Maybe another post on how the church hunt is going soon.


A bunch of coupons for church. Since I'm currently not making an income, this could be like a tithe or something? (though maybe it would be more accurate to ask how much I like cutting coupons I won't use when I'm up to my ears in homework).

Getting rid of 4 pairs of shoes

2011-08-09T23:53:00.000-04:00

So in 2008, I made up a huge list of resolutions to try to accomplish over the year. Number 195 on the list says, "195. Get rid of two pairs of shoes for every new pair you buy." In 2008, I was pretty good at this (especially since we were packing up or giving away all of our things before we left the country), and then sort of forgot about it (not that I've been on a shoe-buying spree in the last couple years or anything...and I did end up leaving a lot of shoes behind in Lithuania). Anyway, it is highly uncommon for me to buy two pairs of shoes in one outing, so on the way out of the store the other day Steve said, "So now you have to get rid of 4 pairs of shoes."

Challenge accepted.

Here are 4 pairs of shoes I will not miss, that I will bring to Salvation Army soon:

These shoes were old when I designated them to be my "Eagle Ridge Shoes" in the summer of 2003. I thought they would be perfect for tromping around in the forest and frequenting campfires. At that point, they were so old, I didn't care if they got destroyed. Anyway, somehow I still have them. I tried to wear them for old time's sake, but they apparently have no traction whatsoever on the bottom. Time to say goodbye.

These sandals I think I got when Steve and I were dating. They probably cost more than all the other sandals I've ever owned put together. They are still very comfortable, and provide my feet with lots of support. However. They smell bad. I think beyond washing. I am considering giving them to my sister's dog to eat, since he liked them so much last time I wore them. That, or Salvation Army.

These are cute, but they hurt my feet so bad. And I can't remember the last time I wore them, or the reason I got them, or for how long I've had them (probably as long as the first pair).

Ummmm.....not sure about these. I don't know that I've ever worn them, and I can't remember where they came from. This leads me to believe that they were either a gift or a hand-me-down. Sorry if they were from you, or your former favorite pair of shoes. Steve thinks they look like grandma shoes. Out they go! To a better home.

Live from Starbucks

2011-08-08T21:03:00.001-04:00

So...I was being lazy yesterday and didn't post anything. I thought it would be justifiable because it could count toward a sabbath or something. I would just have to post twice today or another day this week.

In addition to babysitting for friends this morning/afternoon, our internet is not working in our apartment. So ample excuses for not posting twice today. Steve and I needed time away from the apartment anyway, so we loaded up our computers, a book, a magazine, a sweatshirt, and headed to Starbucks for the coffee, free internets, hyper-airconditioning, and time to just get away.

I took some time to see if any of my professors posted a syllabus for my classes this Fall (so I can add to my amazon cart all the textbooks I will need). Only 2 of the 4 syllabi are posted so far, and a few of the books that I will need I already have. So that is a score. I am not concerned about the time yet, because I just recently got Amazon student, which enables me to get free two-day shipping. Also, the biggest news with regards to school is that I just found out that I was awarded a full-tuition scholarship again! Very excited and feeling blessed and relieved. Though, now I feel uber-responsible to not waste this education that was/will be clearly a gift from the Lord. I can't just go out and become a bum, I will actually need to apply it. (I should stress that I didn't really have any intentions of becoming a bum, but the Lord's providence is a good reminder that I need to be a good steward (stewardess? Flight attendant.) of His gifts. I am excited to see where God will take us/how He will use me with this seminary education.

What else is exciting. I ordered a decaf double tall no whip white mocha, which is very good (no caffeine after 6pm for this girl). Hopefully the internet situation will get figured out in our apartment. Until then, you will have to settle for updates via coffee shops that have nothing to do with anything.

I still owe you a picture of the tiny hat/yarn cozy I crocheted earlier this summer.

New shoes.

2011-08-06T23:59:00.014-04:00

Today I got new shoes. I haven't gotten new shoes in a long time (like, a year, if you don't count the shoes I got for last October's wedding...and even that was practically a year ago), and these particular pairs were not only on clearance, but they were buy one get one half off. Score.

I left all of my brown flats in Lithuania, so these were a long time coming.

And these were cute. Totally justifiable.

In other news, we have been going to more movies the last two nights than the rest of 2011 so far. Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Captain America. Both movies that are good to go with a group to see, for us anyway, because we probably wouldn't choose those on our own. Both were enjoyable though! And probably* based on true stories. Both of them. But don't take my word for it.

*Probably not.

Summer reading. Top 5.

2011-08-05T21:40:00.000-04:00

Man. Coming up with a blog once a day is tough. Maybe it would be easier if I started earlier in the day. I'm still learning.
Here are 5 books that I read this summer, that I would recommend. I'm not going to say too much about each one, because you're already online. You can look them up if you're interested (ok, ok, I'll give you some links at least).

5. Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith. A gritty, suspenseful book that takes place in Soviet times. The ending is a bit cheesy, but only because it is setting you up for the sequel, which I'm currently reading (The Secret Speech). At times, it reminded me of George Orwell's 1984.

4. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Actually this story takes place also in Soviet times (or should I say nearly the same decade), but in the South....in the United States. A white woman writes the stories of various black women in the community, who have basically raised all the white kids in the houses they worked in. 1. I still sometimes can't believe that this is a part of our nation's history. 2. It saddens me that racism still exists. 3. They made a movie that is coming out soon, so you'll probably want to read this beforehand.

3. Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys. This is another Soviet story, this one about a Lithuanian family who is sent to labor camps in the northern part of Siberia....told from the point of 16 year old Lina, an aspiring artist who documents the story via secret drawings. It is a totally quick read (the chapters are short, and the style suggests that high schoolers could read it in English class), but worth your time. Based on true stories of the author's Lithuanian relatives.

2. Peace Like A River, by Leif Enger. Come to think of it, this story also takes place in the same era as the rest, but in Minnesota/North Dakota region. Told from the point of view of 11 year old Reuben, a family takes a road trip to search for their convict brother. A really sweet story...and the presence of God is assumed in such a way that He's everywhere, yet you don't feel like the book has an agenda.

1. Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old Fashioned Way, by J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrott. The only non-fiction book on the list. Highly recommend for those who are in Christian leadership in any way shape or form, but especially those who are passionate about teaching the faith to others (in Sunday School or elsewhere). Loved it. Though, it is only number one on the list because that is the order I thought of it, it is not necessarily better than the rest (though it is in a completely different genre).

Enjoy! What books have you been reading this summer?

Oh, the injustice!

2011-08-04T21:02:00.000-04:00

A week ago today I went to my least favorite store to turn in a disposable camera full of pictures (well, if by "full" you mean "27") to be developed. Now, it has been a few years since I've gotten filmed developed, and I'm learning that I'm a little impatient when it comes to this kind of thing. They told me that the pictures would be ready by this past Tuesday after 4pm. Well, running a little behind, I went in this afternoon (a full two days later, I should point out, if you're reading this in the future and today is no longer Thursday), and the pictures still were not ready. I suppose technically if they were ready sometime next month it would still technically be after 4pm last Tuesday. Anyway, I was sort of frustrated because I try to avoid this particular store that must not be named, so it's not like I was in there to fill up my big American shopping cart in addition to picking up pictures...the pictures were my only reason for going there. So I will wait a few more days, lest I have to make a special trip there again and leave empty handed again (the store security cameras have probably rarely seen someone leave there empty handed).
As I was stomping out of there, vowing that as soon as I got those pictures it would be the last time I shopped there, I had a couple of thoughts.
The first was: how silly of me to be so frustrated at something so trivial. Big deal. I will eventually get those pictures. Probably. And even if I don't, there are worse things going on in the world right now (and they have nothing to do with me not getting my way).
The second thought was (and it doesn't really have much connection to the first thought): If I boycott (which wouldn't take much more action on my part) this particular store that I really dislike, but continue shopping at a certain other similar store that I think is more aesthetically pleasing in every way, am I really helping any cause whatsoever? I mean, other than feeling like this particular big-buy-everything-here type of store seems to care a little bit more about making you feel like you're not on another planet when you shop there, are there really any fundamental differences? Both seem to put local ma&pa type businesses out of business, both offer mass-produced/inexpensive goods, etc. Am I really helping the local economy if I shop at one and boycott another?
And where do you draw the line with buying local? I'm thinking outside of groceries here. If I vow to only buy local or handmade clothes (for example), do I have to guarantee that the fabric and thread used to make said garments is also local? And what does local mean? Made in the same city? State? Country? Or does it mean that the owners of the store and the store itself is local, but the merchandise can be from anywhere? Or, anywhere as long as it's not a country that runs sweatshops? You can see where this would get complicated. Where does shopping online fall in all of this? Is there a fundamental difference between shopping for books on Amazon and buying your clothes on Etsy when it comes to supporting your downtown shopping areas (if they even still can exist)?
Anyway. I don't have any answers...but perhaps if I think about it long enough I will have some ideas for a new year's resolution that has something to do with this issue by January/end of December.

Homemade matching pillows for our eclectic furniture. A picture story.

2011-08-03T23:46:00.000-04:00

Pillow forms, because I am a beginner.

Some essential supplies.

Lots of pinning happened. I should also mention that lots of rethreading and threading the bobbin happened. Sewing would be a lot better if machines just did that on their own.

The first completed pillow!!

The back of the first completed pillow. It's like an envelope. You can take the covers off and wash them as needed (or replace them during the holiday season with red and green pillow covers. Or whatever).

All four are done! I love our pink couch.

Stack of completed pillows.

Now people can nap how God intended.

This is the couch where the pillows are actually a must.

The beginnings of a sewing project

2011-08-02T23:53:00.000-04:00

Ok people. I had hoped that day two of blogging in August would be all about these awesome throw pillows I made, but...they are taking longer than I thought to make. Or, it took me longer than I expected to start them*.
Usually when one wants to take a nap on one of our couches, it is necessary to go get a pillow from one of the beds for support. The arms are too high and create strain in the neck. Actually, I can't believe it's taken this long for us to decide we need throw pillows so we don't have to keep using bedroom pillows during naps. Anyway, I wanted to try to make them instead of just going out and buying pillows.
My original plan was to cut out some big squares of fabric, sew them together, and stuff them with whatever people stuff pillows with. After some research, I found that it was better for beginners to use pillow forms and just make the cover for the pillow. I couldn't argue that, and Joann was having a big sale on pillow forms, so everyone wins.
Still low on skills and ideas, I turned to youtube for some ideas and came across this:

After getting all of my To Do list done today, I set out to cutting the fabric I got at Joann, and pinned the hems for the back of the pillow covers (in the video she is making one small cover....I am attempting four larger covers). After sewing one of the hems, the thread needed to be rethreaded and then it got stuck in the machine, so I decided to call it a day. I will finish the rest of the project tomorrow (so really, I'm getting two blogposts out of this project!).

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*Or it could've been that I was watching HGTV the whole time I was cutting the fabric and kept getting distracted by first-time home-buyers and international house hunters.

More tomorrow!

Self-improvement kick

2011-08-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

So I've been on a bit of a self-improvement kick lately (and maybe some of you are thinking by 'kick' do you mean 'life?'), focusing on wanting to exercise, eat better, become an early bird, become frugal (I'm maybe learning that there is a difference between habitually just not spending that much and consciously finding ways to spend less), and as always, learning/practicing new skills.
Ok. You're right. This isn't a kick. Self-improvement is a part of my fabric. I just recently reread/retook the enneagram and discovered that I am a 4, and 4s tend to lean toward self-improvement (among other things). The first time I ever took the enneagram, I thought I was an 8 (I do tend to stand up for what I feel strongly about), and then the second time, I wondered if I could be a 9 (Steve did not get on board with that, which should've been my first clue that I am not a 9). So I took the test again, read the book again....and if I'm really honest with myself....I am a 4, for better or for worse. I had Steve read it, pretending he was me, and he came up with 4 as well. So I feel good about that. Steve is a 2, if you were wondering.
So, even though self-~~idulgence-~~improvement is nothing new, the above list is my current kick. For the month of August, Steve will be uber busy with work, and I will be waiting for school to start (starts in September). In my opinion, 1 month is too short of a time to try to find a job only to quit it for school, but it is too long of a time to just sit around staring at the wall. So I will be working on tackling the above list (and whatever else I can think of), and blogging about it (and whatever else I can think of).

And since all blogs are better with pictures, here are some I took this morning (after I feared that I may've accidentally garbage-disposalled an important piece of our blender, I discovered that in addition to possibly garbage-disposalling the piece, I had actually garbage-disposalled a dishrag):

Trying to be brave.

Trying not to throw up, but also feeling relieved and impressed that the rag was still intact.

After devising a plan to run the dishwasher, so that whatever was still near the top of the garbage disposal would come back up into the sink, I discovered to my great relief that I had not left the piece of the blender to be disposed of, but had set it on the bottom of this water bottle to dry (high up and away from everything, so that it would not fall into the drain. how clever).

Happy Ending.

What if...

2011-07-31T21:19:00.001-04:00

...I blogged an average of once a day in August? I know that it would mean blogging twice in a day for some of the days. And that sometimes the content could get fluffy.

....but it could be a good practice.

Here are some topics that I will probably (maybe) talk about:
Sewing
Crocheting
Healthier eating
Books I'm reading
Coupons
Fears and Pet Peeves
Social Media
Culture