Team God

It's that time of year. Time to get out the old softball cleats, dust off your glove and warm up for the new season. It's exciting. I could go many ways with a post talking about slow pitch softball...such as the many hilarious happenings of each game, the fact that many injuries could come from a body going from rest to a dead sprint, or so much more. But I have to address the "Team God".

Today we played Team God. They were set apart. Just as the bible says they should be. Their shirts had big crosses on them, I think I remember something about the Gospel written in their shirts, and they took it one step further...they disclosed the church they went to. Big mistake.

I would like to tell you why I believe these are 3 very perilous steps. Now, let me start off by saying this is my opinion. I won't use any references to scripture saying that there is a clear example that Jesus taught not to play slow-pitch softball with his name representing the team. Maybe I'm wrong and everyone should do this. Hopefully by the end I will figure that out!

Reason # 1: Why you should not make a Team God. To start off, if you even look at someone wrong, they think..."what is this?! Team God is looking at me angerly and I don't like it. Aren't they supposed to love everyone? Some Team God."

Reason #2: If you say something like, "Wow, it was a long night last night!" Nobody knows what you are talking about. Nobody knows that you were leading people to a relationship with Christ and then the baptizing took longer than expected. It's going to be assumed that you were drinking the night before the big Team God game. Not ok.

Reason #3: If you miss an opportune chance to get an out, tag someone, or make a killer dive and you get a little upset....once again, Team God is not allowed to have an ill tempered demeanor. Everyone knows that God people are not to be upset by anything! Aren't they perfect?

Reason #4: The evangelistic God Team. It is the responsibility of every Christian to invite Non-Christians to all the events they are a part of...so Team God seams like the best choice. But it's not. Don't be deceived. What if you invite someone who curses and flat out yells at some of the other players. Or what if they even play in an unsportsmanlike conduct. The opposing team thinks that they are on Team God, but their actions aren't lining up to the Team God Creed. To fix this one...you have to be an exclusive team, but then you can't invite. What's the balance there?

Reason #5: You are representing God. What if you lose? You are playing for God and you lose...what kind of testimony is that?! I guess you could have a good attitude afterwards, but nobody REALLY wants the sportsmanship award. It's kind of just given out to make the lowest scoring team feel some sense of accomplishment. I'm pretty sure God doesn't want a pity trophy. I know I don't!

So, these are just 5 reasons why I believe Team God is a bad, bad idea. You can always play on a God team, but please, for the sake of representing, call it something else! I'm sure they will see that you are acting in a loving way and that you are set apart. With out the title.

New Life

There is nothing like witnessing someone beginning a new life to bring the purest kind of joy. Last night, I had that very privilege.

I have a conversational English partner and we meet every week. When I first met her, she asked to study the Bible. I first laughed a few Godly chuckles, and then gladly accepted that offer. We started in the book of John.

We typically go to Church together and then get coffee afterwards to have a little 'Latte and the Lord' time. The first time we went to Church together, the message was on baptism. What did we read that night? About John the Baptist. What a "coincidence". There have been many such coincidences, in which God completely has set up.

Every time we talked, I had to stop myself from saying words like "we" or refer to her as a Christian. She believed in God when we first met, but wasn't completely convinced that Jesus really was the source of life. And if you don't believe or follow Jesus, I would then ask, "how can you be considered a Christ follower, or what some say, a Christian?" By the way, I sometimes use the term, Christian, but sometimes that gets lost in translation. So I prefer Christ follower.

So with each week we met, I kept thinking, this is the night...her new life is about to begin. With every week leading up to this point she was closer and closer. Last week I almost asked her...are you ready yet! But with a dose of some holy spirit style patience, I was able to more tactfully ask her that question. Not ready yet.

Yesterday was May 1st. I ask you, what would be a better time to start a new life in Christ then on May 1st?! I mean, you start New Year's resolutions on the beginning of the year so there is definitely something about the start of a new year, month, week, day that gives you the feeling of a fresh start. So, we were hanging out in the least attractive type of place having one of the most glorious conversations. We went through a lot of verses about all sin being offensive in God's eyes and how that separates us from him. The biggest thing that held her back was that she didn't know much of the bible. She had the understanding (which I might quickly address as a cunning lie) that in order to become a member of God's family, you have to know all of the bible first. I quickly assured her that if that was true...I would be an orphan.

So, after all of that, one of the most beautiful prayers was prayed. Tears flowed, emotions ran high (please forgive me for slipping in a line from one of my favorite movies...I hope that makes God laugh a bit and doesn't ruin the mood) and Lisha's name was written in the Book of Life. I must admit, looking in on the outside I would dub this as slightly cheesy, but the outflow of our heart was to celebrate and we were both so filled with joy. I mean, seriously, eternal life for someone had just begun...who wouldn't want to jump up and down for that!!?!?!

And, here's a picture of a little birthday celebration with some delicious ice cream. Happy Birthday to Lisha! Our new sister.

iPod, oh iPod.

It's been a while. And I know all my fans are just dying to hear another post...in fact, my inbox is just overflowing with such requests. Not! But, I'm not offended, I understand the pyramid breakdown of one creating a popular blog. That's right, it's like a pyramid. And hopefully not a scheme. I'm not into schemes.

I think I've actually posted about my iPod before, but I think this one has a different concept...but if not, I can't resist another shout out.

My iPod knows me. I know it. It is a good listener. It deciphers my mood and selflessly picks music to my emotional status. It's incredible.

Today, I was driving to work and listening to my iPod. Now, just to make it clear...I was not, repeat, was not listening while driving with earbuds in. I take full advantage of the fact that all cars have speakers and I don't really understand why there would be any reason for listing to earbuds in the car. Unless, of course, your speakers were broke...or you had some sort of condition to being near sided...but with hearing. That sounds rare. But if that happened, I'd probably ride my bike to work.

One with it...I'm driving and thinking, "Man, oh man iPod, I would sure love to listen to the SCL audiobook....I want a good laugh." Then, I passed through 3, maybe 2 songs. What happened next, you ask? Well, because my iPod knows me, SCL came on. I then proceeded to have a good laugh and say, "iPod, how I love thee! You know me, and I don't know you. But I think that's the way it's supposed to be." I frequently break out in some form of poetry.

So, what ended this glorious drive? Well, I arrived at work and wondered, what if there is some program for iPods (which would had to have come out about 4 years ago b/c that thing is tow-up...aka torn up, but sounds better when pronounced tow-up)...a program that takes what songs you've been listening to and picks songs accordingly similar (grammer?). I mean, google has it figured out, so iPod might also be up with the times. But, instead of crying myself to sleep tonight because of the reality of that scenario coming true...I'm going to sit with the idea that it currently does not have that option. iPod, you are the best!

The Parable of the Mouse Trap

Let me just start off by saying I am not Jesus, and this is not a spoken truth that mysteriously got left out of the bible. I do, however, feel that the parable of the mouse trap is a great picture of what sin in our lives is like. I also think, that if Jesus lived in my house...he would definitely be relating all of his theology to mice. Mice, therefore, being the the epitome of all things bad.

Well, I'm sure we're all aware of how mouse traps work, but just in case, I'll give a quick run through of the concept. First part; there is a wooden base that is of no importance in the analogy...but it is foundational in the design of the trap. Secondly, there is bait. The bait is crucial in the eradication of any rodent. Peanut butter is usually the bait of choice. Why anyone would use such a delicious food and give it to a rodent, I don't know. But, it seems to be popular and effective. Thirdly, and of great importance is the snapper. Now, I don't work for any trapping company, nor do I do any developmental designing, so I don't know the technical term for this part. But I'll continue to refer to it as the snapper.

Now that the trap concept is clear, let's get on to the good stuff. So, this is how it goes down. The bait is laid, the trap is set. It is put in a good location that will encounter many mice. But, the trap only needs one mouse to have a victory. When the lights go out, the mice wander around...in search for a new home and some tasties. They approach a foreign object--which is not a rare occurrence. They smell. They remember. Remember what, you may ask. They remember their 15th cousin Vinny who died last Tuesday. It all seems so familiar. Came up to something they thought was food and snap...the food ate him! Well, that's how the mice see it I guess. So the mouse thinks, "I know Vinny died last week, but this certainly can't be the same thing that happened to him! I mean, this smells so good and I don't think anything bad could come of this delicacy. It can't eat me! It isn't even alive!" After that split second of a thought, the following will forever haunt this mouse and those around him. SNAP! I guess the forever haunting part was a little overkill, seeing how it is dead now and there is no mouse heaven.

That exact situation is so much like what we experience when being tempted into sin. We know that there could be some bad in what we are contemplating to partake in, but the idea of it not being that bad comes in. We think, "well, this doesn't fell like it is 100% obedience to God, but on the other hand, it doesn't really seem like it is complete disobedience." So, without any truth coming to mind, that split second of a thought turns into an action and then, SNAP! The sin is made and everything is crystal clear. Scriptures come to mind that completely admonish our actions. We think, "Why couldn't I have thought so clearly before? Oh, it was Satan that tricked me! It's not my fault, the sin was there and I gave in."

Sara Groves has a great song with some truth in it, like she usually does, about that exact situation (not the mouse one, but the sinning one).
To say that the Devil made me do it, is a cop-out and a lie
The Devil can't make me do anything when I'm calling on Jesus Christ.
So, how do we avoid the snap? Well, we don't just aviod the snap, we get to the root of it all and see what brought us to that point. What lies were fed to us and what lies did we believe? Was it that the action wasn't really "that bad"? Or was it that the sin was more important, more fulfilling, more gratifying then complete obedience to God. Complete obedience does not let us down and it brings so much glory to God. If we could only remember that in the midst of a mental war over words to say, patience to be had, or actions to be held back. And, when we have been falling into a particular sin, it's sometimes hard to remember how awesome it is to be in full connection with God, with all of our obedience. John Piper says, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in HIM!" Not when we are most satisfied in sin, because sin only gives for a moment and then is gone. Sin has no affiliations with the words and meanings of fulfilling, satisfying, and replenish. Once sin gives birth, it is an ugly whatchamacallit that we can't even recognize. It no longer looks clean and ripe and delicious as we formerly saw it. It looks like an ugly, bruised fruit with maggots coming out of it.

So, let us be filled with truth, so that when the time arises (which it will) we will be gaurded with weapons that only our maker can arm us with--the word of God. We have a powerful army that can be sure to take down any lie, any half-truth, or any fabrication of those good and perfect words that have been given to restore us. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied...in HIM! Press on, my friends.

Here's to the CranPumpkin Soup

There is a comedian who has greatly affected my humor. He has a joke about how great of a salesman Cran-man is. Cran-man goes into the grocery store and gets in to all the fruit drinks...cranapple, cran-orange, cran-banana, I could go on for days. Well, Cran-man paid me a visit and managed to make a pitch to my Pumpkin soup and it is here to stay!

This soup was a new experience. I had a good feeling about it so I had to keep track of my measuring...which is not a natural thing for me. I'm the type of cook that likes just throwing in last minute ideas, more of a feeler. But for this one, I knew it was going to be good so I measured most everything out (minus the few things I guessed on, naturally). So, without further ado, here it is:

Cranberry Pumpkin Soup
1 30-oz Can Pumpkin
1 C Butternut Squash (pureed)
1 C Milk
½ C Half & Half
1 t. Salt
1 T. EVOO
2 C Water

Cranberry Mixture:
1 C Cranberries (Raw)
½ C Sugar Syrup (agave or honey)
1 C Water

Garnish:
Pureed Cranberries w/ Orange and Apple
Crushed Glazed Walnuts

1. Peel and dice whole butternut squash. Put on cooking sheet and roast for ~30minutes (400-450 degrees). Meanwhile, boil 1 cup water and add ½ cup syrup. Then at the cranberries and boil down.

2. Puree the cooked squash and add 1cup to cranberry mixture. Pour in can of pumpkin. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.

3. Pour in bowl and garnish like a pro!



Nutritional Data: (which I would describe as...well, out of control!)
Vitamin A: 763% of DV
Vitamin K: 50% of DV
Vitamin C: 16% of DV
Iron: 19 % DV
Fiber: 7 grams
Protein: 3 grams

Tweezers or Jaws-O-Life?!

Jesus the Healer. He wasn’t joking about taking your heart, in the state that it is in—hurt, suppressed, bent out of shape, and bubbling over with abrasions that go deep to the core.

Hearts can’t technically break, it’s more of a metaphorical breaking, we all know that. So I say, if were going to use metaphors, why don’t we just get a better word that’s more realistic. Like bend. Hearts bend, just like a sweet matrix move dodging a bullet moving at the speed of sound. I mean, think about it, if you were to picture a heart breaking I’m not sure you would be convinced that this could actually happen. But if you were to picture a heart bending away from something—it’s still there, fully intact and slightly misshapen.

After they bend out of shape, it’s up to the proprietor (or proprietress…I just wanted to make sure I could say that word once in my life) to fix it or take it in to get fixed. Many choose to be the at-home, DIY type, where they can get a play-by-play or step-by-step instructional guide. But the wiser, more discerning type know that the only way it will be fixed is taking it to the one who created the heart. The one who knows the exact problem upon appraisal. Then, He pulls things out of the heart that have caused it to be so misshapen and callous and asks why they are still there. Why haven’t you taken this malformed, crooked, deformed heart to him sooner? He would have gladly helped you tweak things so that they wouldn’t turn into a bigger problem. Instead, you will then have to resort to taking jaws-of-life to pull things out. So it’s up to you and me—tweezers or jaws-of-life?

Chi-Town

This weekend I made a great trip to the windy city to visit a friend (Samantha) who is doing part of her student teaching there. We started the weekend off at the Navy Pier and then headed to downtown Chicago just as it started to rain. It started to rain pretty heavily so we headed into a grocery store which turned out to be a gem. It was a mix between a Trader Joe's and a great coffee shop/cafe. Every once-in-a-while I have a laugh attack and forget to bring my epi-pen with me...this is when it happened. We were getting our coffee at the bev. station and it hit me like a brick wall. I lost all control and about peed myself. So that was pretty enjoyable. We headed out to brave the storm and it actually had calmed down a bit. My favorite stores had to be crate & barrel (definitely could throw down a few thou on some amazing decor ideas), H&M, and Niketown. I ended up only spending about $15, exercising some extreme self-discipline.

Later that night we headed to china town for some deliscous couisine...or so we thought. It started off by having to fetch the waiter to get our order because he was definitely not going to be over to our table in a while. So, the choice order was a Thai rice dish in a pineapple. We had seen a few other people order this and it looked awesome... I mean, it was in a pineapple, what else could you ask for?! So let's take a moment and dig through why this was a bad choice. Reason number one: Having the title be so broad as to say "Thai Rice" and make all judgments based off of that. Clearly, if there are no descriptions with a few ingredients you are getting yourself into a night of pain. Reason number two: Looks mean nothing. I feel like maybe I learned this lesson in kindergarden, but for some reason, the rule of not judging a book by it's cover had completely vaporized itself into a gust of chicago wind. So, what happened you may ask....well, as I dug through the pineapple to serve out some rice, I pulled out a little baby squid. As I refrained from throwing up, Samantha coaxed me into eating one of the tentacles. I didn't really get a good taste to even recognize what it would be like before I decided to straight up swallow it. To top the night off, we both ordered bubble tea...one my favs. So I ordered a coffee flavor and could hardly contain my excitement. But, the flavor was, in fact, not coffee but ash tray. The taste of drinking a cigarette. Enough to feel no remorse of tossing that thing in the trash.

So, all-in-all it was a great trip. I enjoyed the windy city and maybe not the cuisine of china town...but I will give it another shot sometime.