Some Goodies...

I just wanted share some goodies that make me happy... on a regular basis. Maybe can brighten yours too?
Just click to follow the link..

Switchfoot- This is Home

Regina Spektor- The Call

Baby, It's Cold Outside

David Bowie and Bing Crosby - Little Drummer Boy

Nickel Creek- Toxic

Clue in 52 Seconds

Charlie Brown Christmas- Linus's Monologue

Drifting Attention

Earlier in the summer, as I have mentioned before, I really felt a need for a revitalization of my spiritual life. And those feelings and convictions come and go...
But, upon describing how I really wanted to be connected with God and do an intense daily devotion, I received feedback, that such a hope may be unrealistic. I cannot always be connected: in order to feel really connected, you have to know what it feels like to be disconnected.
So, here I am again, feeling a bit disconnected. Not making time for one-on-one moments with God.
But, I have been working harder to pray more consistently, and a big part of that is by making prayer a much more casual thing.

I have a twenty minute drive to and from work, and some days I turn off the radio and try to pray while I am driving. Yet, I find myself praying a bit, then getting completely distracted. My mind runs completely wild! Within moments I have begun to think about what I need to tell someone, or what I will be doing the next day, etc.

The question I am pondering is...why do I get so easily distracted? Does anyone else ever have problems with this?

I don't know what the cause is, but it becomes very frustrating. Just saying.

I must Become a Lion- Hearted Girl!

Florence and The Machine Official Video

So this is a mainstream song rather than Christian based, but the Lord works to present messages through more than just Christian artists. This band is a British band that has become very popular, in fact this song was really huge about a year ago. (If you watched SNL this past weekend, they were the musical guest). My husband made me a lovely mix CD and put this song on it. I just fell in love with it and the message it conveys.


1. "Looking Glass, So shiny and new, how quickly the glamor fades."
           - Looking Glass: another Lewis Carroll Reference (Through the Looking Glass)
           - Isn't it crazy how when we depend on something worldly, it quickly changes? In interviews, Florence stated that she was not really made out to be a celebrity, and that she has become sick of some aspects of it.

2. "Here I am, A Rabbit- Hearted Girl, frozen in the Lights."
    - I think so often, especially in the Christian community, girls are taught to be too quiet, gentle, and fragile, which can lead to their demise. There is a concentration on being humble, which can sometimes turn into self- deprivation, and very low self-esteem.  Just because we are called to be gentle spirits, does not mean we should be frightened or too timid.
" For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self- discipline."  2 Timothy 1:7
I feel that I am often finding myself in this type of a battle, knowing that I should stand strong, but also not wanting to overstep my boundaries.


3. "This is a gift: it comes with a price. Who is the lamb and who is the knife?"
      - It is true; most gifts come with a price. We have salvation only because Christ died as the price of our repentance to God.  I think that this does not need to be a negative phrase; it should just be an eye opener. Upon realizing that most gifts that we receive come because a sacrifice was made by another, we should be more thankful and joyous when receiving gifts!
    - "Who is the Lamb and Who is the knife?"  This phrase makes me wonder what some gifts are really worth. Also, if actions that we take are destructive to others?


4. " I WISH THAT I COULD JUST BE BRAVE. I MUST BECOME A LION-HEARTED GIRL, READY FOR A FIGHT."
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith: be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."  
1 Corinthians 16:13 & 14
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death." Philippians 1:20

                                        The lion is used time and time again in scripture as a metaphor for Judah, or Christ. The Lion is a symbol of sovereignty and strength, as well as courage and bravery. 

I won't lie, I feel like if you become a lion-hearted girl, you should also attain the right to roar whenever you feel it necessary. :)

"Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."  1 Timothy 6:11 & 12

This guy is pretty cute.
Not looking very courageous though!

We are also told that as Christians, we are expected to have to fight for our faith, not only against Satan, but also against the world that does not understand us.  Being a True Follower of Christ, sadly, is not an easy life calling to pursue; but it is definitely worth the trial.

So, the kicker is that we have to find a balance between gentleness, humility, love, and courage.  I felt very encouraged by this song, knowing that I am not the only one who struggles with this balance. So I have found my newest pursuit: to change from rabbit-hearted to lion- hearted! 

" And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

What Happens when You Watch the FOOD NETWORK...

The other night, we were all watching Bobby Flay's Throwdown on Food Network, and what was he making? Pumpkin pie and Carrot Cake!!!
It led to a conversation about carrot cake, and Thanksgiving desserts (like pumpkin dumpcake) and the cream cheese frosting.  The conversation moved on, but as my dad got up to head to bed, I asked: "So what are we making to put cream cheese frosting on?"
They all laughed at me, but this was serious business.
My husband suggested Red Velvet Cupcakes, but I was not really feeling like making a cake from scratch at close to midnight... so what was the substitute? Fondant!!

The fondant that my family makes is not like the fondant used in bakeries as icing for cakes. That fondant icing is normally just confectioner's sugar and water, what I made was fondant candy: a package of cream cheese, a load of powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla extract.


 This type of candy has a huge nostalgic factor for me,  my grandmother (now suffering from dimensia) made it every year at Christmas time.

This time around I used a mixing bowl, although I would sincerely recommend putting it in a bag and kneading it together.

Fondant actually improves with refrigeration and age, so over the next few weeks (if it lasts past its pure stage!) I will be rolling it in almonds and pecans.
Adding coconut, and chocolate to portions- to roll and slice to create pinwheels.

 My puppy Prudence wanting in on some of the action!

Lately, I have been focusing on broadening my knowledge and skills in the kitchen. I have been working mostly with desserts so far, because I can truly appreciate them. :) 

A friend of mine and I met several times a week over the summer and created a gateau: a cake filled with fruit and a whipped topping:

Then I decided to raise the challenge in difficulty. My husband has always wanted a Boston Creme Pie, so I decided to try it!

I made it all from scratch: the pound cake, the custard filling, and chocolate drizzle.

What led to this whole endeavor? After being married for almost two years, I have fallen into a rut of dinners to make. I have my meals that we enjoy, and are easy...but they sure do get boring.  My husband and I became Goodwill and Garage sale frequenters, and I picked up this book:

This book is like a text book you would have in a normal class, it has sections and chapters: working its way up from the very basics to the difficult portions of cooking.  So I have the book, and the urge: now I just need to go for it and start the sucker!!!

JOSHY!

Two weeks ago, my husband and I traveled to see Joshua Radin, who is probably my favorite artist!

It was a pretty big venue, but he was opener so it was not too crowded. He played a great set, and we were very impressed. He did his closing number in the crowd. Afterwards, he went out and did signing and a meet and greet with fans.

 

Here is a video of the song we played at our wedding. As he got ready to play it, he asked to take it down a notch. And told us he was going to play a song he wrote right when he started six years ago. He then asked if anyone in the crowd had used it at their wedding. So we screamed at the top of lungs. :) 

We heard people around us say: "Awww"

Before starting Joshua said, "Okay then, this one is for you."

 I was just so excited to share.

Mysterious God

So much for blogging three times a week,eh?  Oh well...
I was reading in Colossians the other day... and some verses stuck out:


"I have become its (the church's) servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in his fullness- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but is now disclosed to the saints." Colossians 1:25 & 26
* Note: The Christian Mystery is not secret knowledge for a few, it is a revelation of divine truths- once hidden but now openly proclaimed.

I find this note very interesting: why was this not always proclaimed? It comes to the predestination thing... God is all-knowing, so why did he not proclaim this from the beginning? Why did God have his chosen people, those in his OWN image, struggle for so many years? So that we may learn from them?  I guess it always comes to the choice thing...
"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."  Colossians 1:28 & 29
I love that Paul really had a godly way of thinking (which makes sense, since he was a Saint) and truly cares for all of God's children. He strives in his ministry not just because God called him, but because he longs for all people to be perfect in Christ!! Awesome!!
Btw: admonish: to warn in a loving manner
I am totally amazed by the thought that when we are given a task that it does not mean that we have to do it on our own strength. Here Paul states that even with Christ's energy, he stills struggles. It is so comforting to know, that God will fill us, and even when we are filled with him, and his energy, we are still not expected to be perfect.

Who would have guessed that the Whale was just a distraction?

The past couple months, I had been having a tough time finding a church that I really felt comfortable in. I attended a church about 15 minutes away that had great messages, but I did not feel comfortable enough to go alone. So on days when no one else could go with me, I went back to the church I grew up in.  I decided the best way for me to feel connected to that church was to contribute myself.
So, I started teaching Sunday School. My age group contains anyone that is younger than middle school. So... that normally equals out to: 2 third graders, a second grader, a first grader, a kindergarten boy, and a three year old.
A couple weeks back we did the story of Jonah and the Whale.  The kids sponge painted while I read from Jonah chapters 1 and 2. I am going to assume we all know the story... but the best part was following when the kids acted out what I had read.  The kindergartener was the captain of the ship because the captain got to wear a hat. :) We had a Jonah, thankfully, that had paid close attention to the story. And we had a whale (an upturned table with a dark blue sheet over it with paper plates for eyes). It was such a joy for me to watch them act it out. And then for the boys to go inside the whale and punch its stomach.  My point? The joy that they add to the world around them. The passion that they use with every movement and thought. The innocence....
As I read through the material before the lesson, I found it interesting the focus verse that they chose.
"Love God and Love Each Other!"  Which is actually: "And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." I John 4:21 
After all of these years knowing that story, that was never the message I took away from this story. Upon looking more closely, the reason Jonah refused to go to Ninevah (and was swallowed by the whale) was that Jews thought of themselves as superior to the Asyrians that lived there.  In one of the most popular and well known Bible stories, we often miss the point. God does not care about our differences! We should not either. Throw your prejudices aside! Throw away your judgments. God loves all the people of the world and calls us to do the same.  Jonah was sent to Ninevah to convince them to repent. Why was he told to do that? Because God valued the lives of the Assyrians, and longed to be in relationship with them just as much as he longed to be in relationship with his Chosen people.
Oh, Lord, how you continue to amaze. You are a glorious God. But, why am I so amazed that he loves us all the same? Because I continue to forget that God is not human... he does not think like I do, or show favoritism.
And so is the downfall of religion... it is too much humanity and not enough God. Oh, us! Why do we have to try to fit God in such a little box??
I better quit, before I really get on my soap box. ;)

Oh! Here is a little tid bit of fun... I haven't heard this song in years, and I feel it is often under-appreciated. And I Like Owl City...My Hope is Found

Strength and Purity in Fire

As many of you may know, this past year or so has been a large time of transition for me. I was married just under two years ago, and everyday we are still learning about each other and how to be married. I graduated from Purdue in May, and we did not want to stay in West Lafayette. So decisions needed to be made where to move to and what to do next. I felt led to apply for the Teach for America program, and went through a very long interview process with that (4 months) and in the end was not chosen for the program. By then it was just a few months before graduation, so we decided to move to Nashville, TN so that my husband could pursue a career in music. Then spring came, and there was the flooding of Nashville, so we took it as a sign for us to choose a different location. We moved back home to our parents in Northeastern, IN. 


Since then, I keep searching and searching for a job that uses my degree (Communication- Human Relations).  I did farm work that helped me lose some of my extra college pounds but that was a little dangerous, and was not something I enjoyed.  At the end of August, I got a job at a local pizza place delivering pizzas. It was not a job that I was striving for, but I had been praying that God would bring an opportunity... and there it was. It has turned into a pretty fun job, that is paying well. But I keep looking for positions more related to my field of  interest.
I would not directly say that lately has been a time of trials, but it has not been a walk in the park either. I keep praying that the Lord will show us new opportunities. I actually have an interview next week, that I really hope turns into something! 


On a slightly different note, when I first moved north, I felt that my prayer life was really suffering. My mother reminded me that there are mountains and valleys in life, and the low points teach valuable lessons that help one to grow. 

God has really been laying on my heart the book of 1 Peter. I have read it several times lately and just keep coming back to it. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater  worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."     -1 Peter 1:3-9

Strangely enough, the portion I would first like to point out, is actually towards the end, verse 8.

In my mind, there are two bunches of Christians... (hear me out)...

- The first bunch were those that met Jesus. The people that heard him speak, saw his face, met those who had been healed by his miracles, and even those who saw him crucified. There were thousands of people who encountered Jesus during his lifetime here on Earth. 

- The second bunch are the Christians that Peter talks to in this passage. They have only been told about Christ or read the letters and teachings of Christ, and have heard about others' personal experiences with Jesus. 

Obviously, we fall into the second category, because we were not alive when Christ was almost 2,000 years ago.  Peter praises the church today, because we have to have a higher degree of faith than those who encountered Christ in person.  Like those who did meet him, and recognized who he was, we can be filled with joy by knowing that he loves us and has covered us with his grace.  I also really, really love that Peter describes the joy that we have as inexpressible. Many times I am filled with such great joy because of the knowledge of God's love for me, and I really can't express it.... not even to him. 

It is a great comfort to know that God's power is shielding me from any real danger that I may face. It comes to the saying: "If he will put you to it, he will bring you through it." 

Upon deciding to write about this passage, I did a little research on gold smithing and refining. Now, what I found may not be exactly what they did in Biblical times, but it was what they did in the late 1800s. At that time, if you purchased gold, it was very unlikely that it would be pure. Gold smiths, being the professionals that they were, knew the temperatures that gold could withstand as a noble metal in comparison to other alloys. After being placed in the fire, the other elements would rise to the top of the crucible and could be removed. Then, the gold smith just waited for the pure gold to cool, and plink, out it would fall ready to be made into jewelry, coins, etc. 

Peter describes the faith of many followers in using the metaphor of gold in this passage. As part of the second bunch of Christians we have a very different perspective of faith than did the first disciples. I believe that God tests and puts fire under our butts so that we can grow and strengthen. As Christians we are called to be pure as Christ was pure; set apart from the world. 


As a closing thought, think of a piece of wood. The end product that we want is smooth, soft, and pretty without blemishes. How do we get those? With sandpaper! Sometimes God needs to be rough on us, so that our end product is smooth and beautiful. :)

Oh, How He Loves...

So, I have found myself struggling to be able to find ways for me to connect to God on a daily basis, so I told a few friends that I would start posting "food for thought" three times a week online. I would love feedback whether on here or through my facebook page.

A couple of friends and I met weekly over the summer for a Bible study. They all went back to college, and left on my own, I took a month off from doing anything really like this (unintentionally). One morning this week, I woke up with the song How He Loves by David Crowder in my head. I don't have a radio in my car, so I sang it to myself all day. With it in my head all day, I started looking up some scriptures and then did a little internet research. When looking for the lyrics, I found a blog that criticized them and included a page of comments arguing for or against the absurdity of the song. When reading through those comments I found this:


"I actually heard this song for the first time tonight at a culminating music festival on my campus and was looking up the lyrics/artist when I came across your page. While reading the lyrics, the following discussion about them, and then looking back at the night, I was definitely able to laugh at how poeticly cheesy they are, but I can honestly say that this song moved me more than any other from tonight. 

Granted, we had a fantastic group of guys/girls from campus to lead us through the night, which gave it an extremely powerful atmosphere, but even the most mockable lyrics ("...heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss") have a tremendous amount of power when you're actually in the mindset of worship. Being able to imagine God's gift as something that is as personal as an embarrassing kiss from a loved one is a gorgeously connected feeling. It doesn't come off as something dirty or "teenage love-y" to me at all, but instead brings up the imagery of a kiss from someone you're so close to that it doesn't really matter how it "lands," it's just a kiss to show a level of love, not any value of lust. It drives home a very important facet of Christianity as well, which is that God's love is personal and *real*; we're not just worshiping an emotionless, omnipotent, "man-behind-the-curtain" creator, we're in a relationship based on true love from a God who can easily match our passion for Him.

It's really amazing how the simple line "Oh, how He loves us" can provide such a rich palette of emotions, too. The build up from the poetic lyrics only help lead up to the driven, single-line-repitition chorus, as excessively metaphorical as the verses are. Even though the descriptions of God's love being like a hurricane, while we are a tree are over-the-top, it's powerfully accurate. Each verse is just trying to restate how unimportant the trials and difficulties of life are with God's love at your back. It's not meant to be something we sing placidly about, it's a tremendous weight that should entirely depict our life, in the same way that a hurricane has the ability to apply ridiculous force to a tree or the vastness of an "ocean of grace"; seemingly unending (or in a non-metaphorical sense, God's love really *is* unending). The things the artist used to describe His love were intentionally powerful, albeit destructive, because God's love has some intensely powerful implications. The artist/author used the descriptions of things that are physically powerful to describe something that is emotionally very powerful. Having just lost a close friend, God remained as his inspiration for praise. I especially like the line leading into the final chorus[es]: "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way [that He loves us...]"

Again, this is really just my interpretation of the song. :) It was a wonderfully happy feeling to be yelling out the words to this simple chorus with hundreds of other Christians going through much more hardship than I was, knowing there's still a God in control through life's crap."



And I believe that it does an awesome job of describing the song, and what worship songs can really do when a heart is open to the Lord. 
He is Jealous for Me. He is a Hurricane, I am a tree bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
I only had the first few lines of lyrics running through my head, so those were the ones that I concentrated on when I began looking up scriptures (NIV).
-1 John 4:16: "And so we know and rely on the Love God has for us. GOD IS LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
-Deuterony 4:24 "For the Lord you God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
- 2 Samuel 24:14 "I am in great distress, let us fall into the Hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great."
- Titus 3:5 "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy."
- Ephesians 2:4 "But because of his Great Love, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ."
-In 1 Kings 19, Elijah cries out to the Lord to feel his presence. God is not found in the fire, or the earthquake. But in the stillness and strength of the wind.

Here We Go...

So, I have had a Blog before, but never really used it. I have found that Journaling myself is a great thing for me to do. But, why not online?
Facebook just is not holding up its end of the deal these days.

So... here is my inspiration for the creation of the blog...The Walrus and The Carpenter

So, I do not really know what my new obsession with this is, because I have not actually read the book by Lewis Carroll, but I watched the Disney film...a couple months ago and can't get it out of my head. I searched the internet thoroughly for a photo of Tweedledee and Tweedledum as the sun and the moon at the beginning of the poem with no avail.