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.

Mac's and Sara Groves...

Macintosh. The world of macs is one that liberates and enhances creativity, imagination, and simply sophistication. Okay, maybe not quite the last one, but you get the idea (unless you are a PC user, no offense). Mac has a way to integrate your life electronically and organize all the mumble-jumble that happens...with the help of google calendars. Recently, I had a great experience with iTunes. Here is the setting: I'm driving on the interstate and 3, I kid you not, 3 songs play in a row that have to do with time. It was enough to make me think a little bit about this silly thing called time. Leeland was in the mix starting off with...Time keeps moving on...and someday I'll be who I want to be. Then I got to thinking about who I wanted to be; characteristics that I want people to know me as. I am very motivated by what people think of me, which is not a good thing. Sure enough, Sara Groves is on the line up next. She has a very precise yet uncomplicated way of putting into words many of the things that go on in my head. The song, This Journey is My Own, has some great words about not looking for the praise or approval from men, but from God. It really challenged me and helped remind me of what I am living for. Here are some of the lyrics:

Still I want man’s advice, and I need man’s approval
This journey is my own
Why would I want to live for man, and pay the highest price
What does it mean to gain a whole world, only to lose my life
So much of what I do is to make a good impression
This journey is my own
And so much of what I say is to make myself look better
But this journey is my own
...(here it comes!)
And now I live and I breathe for an audience of one

So there it is. We are not to live for the acceptance of others, only to make ourselves feel better. We live, to honor the king, who has so graciously saved us. So that is why we have a decided disposition, as believers, to bring him glory. Not ourselves glory. Only Him. Repeat, not ourselves. Only Him.

Overdue update of overseas life.

So, I thought I would post about my experience overseas this past summer. Mostly because I've been receiving hate mail from my sister threatening me if I don't. OK, well, that might be a bit dramatic, but you get the point. So, I'll try and list my favorite memories, travels, and experiences so that I don't loose you after a few paragraphs.

1. The Great Wall. Need I say more? Well, if I were to say more, I would say that we were outrageously blessed with a gorgeous day, in which China only has to offer a few blue skies every once-in-a-while. The feeling of being a little ant amongst gynormous hills and mountains has new meaning. God is good at what He does!

2. The Owens Family. They are an amazing family and we were able to spend a lot of time with them. We'd go over for lunch (5 minute bike ride) and then hang out with the kids (8 in all!). I learned a lot about the country, the people, and many different political issues that went on. Also got a good look at how they raise their kids and how they have taken in 4 orphans. I have many favorite memories of the kids and Bill Cosby is so right, kids do say the darnedest things!

3. Bring Me Hope. This is a camp for orphans to come, feel loved for a week, have fun, trust someone, and feel like the are an important human. For most of their lives they feel abandoned, unimportant, and so many other things that their life circumstances have brought them. It was a hard week, jam-packed with activities, not getting enough sleep, and being stretched in my faith in many ways. Each volunteer is paired with a translator, and I happened to get one of the coolest chinese college students of all time. So was extremely eager to hear God's word and personally challenged me to be more eager and thirst more for things above. As we parted at the end of the week she said, "I will let you know when I become a Christian." And, a week later, she did. Praise God.

4. Hangin' with my friend Lydia. It was so great to be able to spend time with Lydia, who lives there now. We were able to do a lot together....even paint her room! Living in Asia really makes traveling to that side of the world easy and I was very tempted, on more than one occasion, to stay there longer and travel around.

5. Chinese people. They are so funny. There is always this idea in my mind, a lie really, that people from different cultures will not have the same humor. But, it's a lie. I mean, many were not able to pick up on sarcasm, in which I had to restrain myself a bit, but there were 2 of my friends there that actually did pick up on it and loved it. Needless to say, these were my favorite friends. Not to mention the dynamics of our friendship. We were able to go from laughing out loud to a very serious conversation. That type of friendship is to be valued.