My Life in a Blog-Shell Part #2

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (and Christmas Cookies)

Hello, my lovely blog readers! Are you ready for part two of my adventures while Lena is away?

So, for my supper Monday night I was in the mood for a little something Italian, and the meal of choice was Spaghetti and Meatballs. I didn't have a recipe for meatballs in hand so Sunday night I did what any self-respecting, twenty-three year old would do in that situation- I googled Meatball recipes! After perusing suggestions from Rachel Ray, the Italian dood on the Food Network and others, I put together my very own version of a meatball recipe. Last night I fashioned this fabulous fare with some beef, ground crackers, crushed red pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, chopped jalapeno pepper, and a little Parmesan cheese, and prepared my little meatball wonders. The aroma as they were baking was simply tantalizing! My lack of tons of experience in the kitchen makes it a little difficult to do a bunch of things at once, so I thought I might have a minor catastrophe as I cooked the angel hair pasta, prepared the garlic bread and heated the sauce all at the same time, but it all came together beautifully, and there was no one was harmed in the making of this meal. For your viewing pleasure here is a picture of my full meal: angel hair pasta with sauce and Meatballs a la Sarah, spinach salad with Feta cheese, garlic bread, and a little sparkling grape juice.

So now, on to Christmas cookies! Growing up, there were several Christmas cookies that got made every year. New ones were added along the way that became family favorites, but there were those that were the tried and true essentials to the Christmas season. One such recipe was for Vanilla Butter Sugar cookies. So convenient to the have the main ingredients listed in the title! I decided that it would be fun to whip up a batch of these holiday morsels for the girls in my Bible study and others to enjoy.

First of all, do you know how hard it is to find cookie cutters in Wal-mart? Perhaps you would know exactly where to go, but I did not. I searched in the baking mix area where they have food coloring and sprinkles and such, then I checked out the baking utensil area, and finally the seasonal displays near the front. Nothing! I had almost given up , but I headed back to the craft area to get some glue, when, what did I see, not just one but several choices even in cookie cutters! They were located by the themed plates and party favors in the craft area. So, if you are ever in need of Christmas cookie cutters, try there first and save yourself from wandering all over Wal-mart!

As soon as I got home last night from work and errands, I began mixing up the dough for the cookies. You see, it has to chill in order to ease the experience of cutting out the shapes. I made my meatballs, which I have already described to you, while the dough got good and ready to be cut out into trees, snowmen and candy canes. Here is a snapshot of the mixing process.

After supper and the first round of dishes for the evening, I pulled the dough out of the fridge ready to create some festive cookies. In order to roll out the dough you must place it on a floured surface using a floured rolling pin and floured cookie cutters. In most things in life I consider myself pretty conservative, and I guess I am also conservative when it comes to flour. My first few attempts at cutting out stocking shapes ended up in some pretty sorry-looking socks, I'm afraid. I decided to throw caution to the wind and dumped out the flour with wild abandon. I also gave up on the rolling pin and went to using my fingers (don't worry they were quite clean). Here are some pictures of the dough going through the cutting-out and shaping process.

After baking my cookies, it was time to frost and sprinkle! This is the fun part and normally at my house it's a family affair. We fight over who gets the cool sprinkles or who has to frost. It takes a whole lot longer when you have to do it by yourself! But, I got it done, and they turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. Here is the finished product.

After doing dishes for about the fourth time of the evening, it was only 9:30 p.m. and I was inspired. So, I looked in the pantry for what other Christmas concoction I could come up with. We had a bag of peanut butter cookie mix and so I thought I could make those and if we had some kisses or chocolate chips I could add those to the top for a little decoration. As I searched the candy jar, I discovered we only had one chocolate kiss, but we did have about 18 peanut butter cups! With the creative juices flowing, I checked out Lena's pan supply and discovered she had a mini-muffin tin, and the complete idea hatched. I decided to make a version of a treat called Fudge puddles that my family often makes for the holidays. After calling my mother for affirmation of my plan, I whipped up the cookie dough and baked it in the muffin tin. As soon as it came out of the oven, I pushed the peanut butter cup down in the center of the dough, forming a yummy chocolaty, peanut butter treat. I also had some leftover dough to make regular cookies.

Well, you have probably heard enough about my capers in the kitchen. I don't know what adventures I am going to tackle next, but I hope you will stay tuned! Over and out!

My Life in a Blog-Shell Part #1

From December 4th through 12th, Lena is gone visiting Branson with her siblings, thus leaving me to fend for myself here at home. :) To preserve my sanity amongst final papers, final tests, and any other final things that happen at this time of the semester, I am going to tell you my lovely blog-readers and anyone else who might wish to know just exactly what I'm up to while Lena is gone! Perhaps you might find that my life is mundane and the littlest things amuse me, but that is just fine with me. I do hope you will enjoy a little something different from me on this blog while Lena is gone.

For starters, normally Lena cooks all of our meals (or we go out to eat). Of course, being a good farm-girl, raised in the Midwest and attaining the ranks of 10 years in 4-H, I am not without knowledge in the kitchen. I am a bit inexperienced and out of practice, but I was determined to skip the easy route of frozen dinners (no offense to anyone who eats these time-saving wonders)and cook for myself this week! Please take note of exhibit 1.

My meal of choice last night was Baked Chicken Chimichangas, a little Mexican delight I made completely from scratch (except I guess for the prepared salsa). I even cooked the chicken breasts, leading to the only minor snafu of the evening when the pot boiled over slightly. But, no worries, everything cleaned up just fine and the chicken was not harmed in the least! To complete my meal I dined on Southwestern rice, and added a little lettuce and sour cream to take a little off of the chili powder-induced kick to the chimichangas. In case you would like to enjoy these as I did, I am including the recipe.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. olive oil

1/3 cup chili powder

16 oz. jar salsa

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 lb. cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded

6 10-inch flour tortillas

1 cup refried beans

Olive oil

Sour cream

Guacamole

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10-in. baking pan. In a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in chili powder, 2/3 jar salsa, water, cumin, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into a blender; process until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan; stir in chicken. Add salt to taste. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a heaping Tablespoon of refried beans down the center of the tortilla. Top with about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Place in a greased baking pan, seam-side down. Brush all sides with oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning every 5 minutes. Serve with remaining salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Yield: 6 servings (if you are a bachelorette such as myself this recipe is quite easy to cut in half)

And there you have it! A little Mexican meal to tantalize your taste buds.

What else might be occupying my time other than working marvels in the kitchen? I alluded to it at the beginning of this post: paperwriting! I am in full force mode, blasting my way to the finish line of papers for this semester. I will turn in one this evening, and then if procrastination does not get the best of me, I will finish up my last paper to turn in during class on Tuesday night. Perhaps this will give a little picture of what my paper-writing looks like: books piled high, papers strewn about, and a cup of joe to keep me going.

So, here ends my first installment in this series. Please stay tuned for further cooking/studying/whatever-else-I-can-come-up-with adventures!

A Grateful Thanksgiving

Last week I got to drive up to Nebraska to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I came back on Monday with a heart full of gratefulness, and even though Thanksgiving was almost a week ago I'm going to share a list of what I'm especially thankful for this season.

- My family! Staying up late talking with my siblings, wonderful Thanksgiving meals, the provision of the small and big things by my parents, a 3-hour Apples to Apples game with cousins, and refreshing, healing laughter.

- My home church! Like any body of imperfect human beings they have their faults and I don't always agree with everything they do, but they support me faithfully, and I was encouraged by a wonderful worship service and sermon while I was home.

- My work in Texas! God opened up this door for me to work in Texas, and I enjoy the work he was given me to do. The last couple of days in the office have been busy, but I have been reminded that although I might not be on the front lines of ministry in regards to being on the field, I still play a role in taking the Gospel to the people who still need to hear it.

- Lena and my home in Texas! From food every day to a listening ear, I'm so thankful for Lena's provision for me and for her friendship.

- Reminders of God's love! In the last couple of days God has provided in cool ways for paying for next semester of school. This morning it snowed (yes, in Texas!) and for some reason, I suppose because being from the Midwest this is a familiar sight, I just was filled with joy. It was a fun reminder of home and of God's provision of safety.

Here is a picture of the Plano office: Kent and Erika Parks, Eric Eldridge, and me

Registration!

Today I met with my advisor and then went through the registration process. It is quite exciting to get to the last step where the lady in the cashier's office hands you the total bill for the semester. :) It all went smoothly and it will be fun to have new classes and new things to learn.

Before starting the Master's in Global Leadership I was supposed to have 9 credits of undergraduate religion or theology courses. I only had 6, so one of my classes next semester is actually an undergrad class called Christianity in a Pluralistic World. This class looks at the major religions around the world and how we as Christians can respond. I think it will be good to learn a little bit more about some of the major religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. This class will be online.

My other class is Intro to Missiology which will be on Thursday nights on campus. Here is the description from the DBU website on this class: "An introductory study of the theory and practice of Christian missions, examining the challenge of adapting how the gospel is best communicated to specific cross-cultural situations. The course is designed to orient students to the challenges of giving a coherent cross-cultural witness to the gospel, but will be of special interest to prospective missionaries, and those who anticipate a ministry in a multi-cultural context. The course will include the biblical foundation for missions." So, basically Missions 101!

In a way, I have gotten tired of driving to campus and was hoping to take all online classes but this will be good. It has been helpful to go to the library before class, and to be able to take my payment to the cashier's office in person. It will be good to hopefully have a bit of a break with only 2 classes, and really be able to soak up everything that I need to as I prepare for what God has next for me.

Learning from Home: Continued Thoughts on the Quiverful Movement

Back in September, I wrote a blog concerning the Biblical role of women, in opposition to several things I have been reading about a movement know as Quiverful. This movement came to my attention because of a woman from my hometown in Nebraska named Vyckie who used to be a part of this movement. She has recently gotten more media attention through several TV interviews she has done.

In her description of the Quiverful movement, and also through the reporters’ descriptions as they interviewed her, homeschooling is often listed as one of the major aspects of the movement along with having many children, giving birth at home, dressing conservatively, and wives submitting to their husbands. I was homeschooled myself, and I want to draw a distinction between the “typical” homeschooling family, and this Quiverful movement.

The Quiverful movement, from my reading and understanding, supports homeschooling to shelter children from the “evils” of public school and the many, many negative influences of people outside the movement. In the interview, the oldest daughter of Vyckie said of their families’ escape from Quiverful, “School for me is the best thing ever, I love learning and to be able to have that freedom, have friends, have a life.” (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/In_Depth_Motherhood_Movement_nov_06_200) To me, this implies that there is a bondage in homeschooling that restricts a love of learning.

There is a sheltering aspect to homeschooling, but not in the way that Quiverful describes. My parents chose to homeschool my siblings and me because they wanted to be actively involved in our education, but they did not keep us away from having friends and being involved in other activities. We were involved in many different activities with our church, and also participated in a local 4-H group. Many of my friends (but not all of them) were homeschooled, and they were also involved in other activities outside of their homes. One of the most common myths is that homeschoolers are not socialized, but it is the families like those in the Quiverful movement who give homeschooling a bad name. Homeschooling encourages students to be excited about learning, and many homeschoolers, just like public schoolers, are successful college students who continue to love learning.

Homeschooling is one of several options for the education of children. I think each option has plenty of pros and cons, and it should be up to each individual family to look at the needs of their children and their family situation. Having been homeschooled, though, I want to stand up against the broad statements that I have heard coming out of the Quiverful movement and say that they need to be careful before applying their claims to all of homeschooling.

I Bowed On My Knees

I had an emotionally moment in church this morning that I was not really ready for. We have a choir for the "seasoned" citizens of the church called the Sunshine Singers, and every once in a while they will sing instead of the regular choir. As I was looking through the bulletin before church started, I saw that they were going to be singing "I Bowed On My Knees". Just as I read this, they started practicing just a little bit of the song to make sure the mics were working. Tears came to my eyes, and I had a hard time holding myself together. When they actually sang the song during the service, tears streamed down my cheeks and I was sure everyone around me was wondering what was going on. This song was sung by my aunt at my grandpa's funeral in September. It was hard remembering the emotions of that day, even though we were celebrating his life, there were lots of tears and it was difficult. The words of the song also struck me this morning in a particular way as I longed to see Jesus and leave all of the struggles of this world, like studying for a crazy mid-term in Hermeneutics (just kidding!). :) The words of the song are really great, so here they are. I am learning that in the grieving process, different things will hit you at different times. Sometimes I know a certain memory or situation will be tough, and others things just are hard that I'm not expecting. But, I am thankful for God's strength for every situation, and I'm so thankful that my grandpa is in heaven praising Jesus.

I dreamed of a city called Glory,
So bright and so fair.
When I entered that gate I cried, "Holy"
The angels all met me there:
They carried me from mansion to mansion,
And oh what sights I saw.
But I said, "I want to see Jesus,
He's the One who died for all."

Chorus
Then I bowed on my knees and cried,"Holy, Holy, Holy."
Then I clapped my hands and sang, "Glory, Glory to the Son of God."
Then I bowed on my knees and cried,"Holy, Holy, Holy."
Then I clapped my hands and sang, "Glory, Glory to the Son of God."

I thought as I entered that city,
My friends all knew me well.
They showed me the streets of Heaven;
Such scenes too numerous to tell;
I saw Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Mark, Luke and Timothy.
But I said, "I want to see Jesus,
He's the One who died for me."
http://www.my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/bowed.html ( you can listen to the music)

A Few Highlights

This weekend I have several big assignments to complete for school and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Instead of getting too bogged down and to hopefully keep a positive attitude (for me, Miss Pessimistic), I am going to list a few highlights and special moments, or fun things from this last week.

~ Erika and I got to have lunch today at one of our favorite places called Taco Delight. It's only about 4 blocks from the church, and so we braved the "cold" weather to walk. It was great to catch up and just chat.

~ We have had some interesting mice adventures in the office this week. While a mouse running around in my office is definitely NOT a highlight, we've had lots of laughter over the whole situation, and it's become exciting to check the closet and see how many we've caught (the count is up to 8, although 5 of those were at one time).

~ I got to have a Skype call with my sister on Thursday night. I always enjoy talking to her and any other family member and just laughing and talking.

~ Girls' Bible study on Wednesday was pretty crazy. We were trying to finish our series on Esther but we (meaning the girls) were easily distracted and talked about the most random things. We also played a rather simple version of Wheel of Fortune which was lots of fun.

Well, those are a few of the fun things from this week. :)

Living Simply

For my Spiritual Formation and Worship class this semester, we are reading the book Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster. He divides the spiritual dicsciplines into the 3 categories: the inward disciplines, the outward disciplines, and the corporate disciplines. I have been reading this week in the section of the outward disciplines, and was struck by the discipline of simplicity. Foster gave 10 ways that we can practice living simply, and these really made me think so I wanted to share them.

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away.
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry, like time-saving devices
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.
7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes. They are a trap and only deepen your bondage.
8. Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech.
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
10. Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God.

Musings...

This morning as I sipped a Pumpkin Spice latte (very good for soul-searching), I read Zephaniah 3:17, which says, "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." I want to dive deep into this verse, and let it change my life. God delights in us! He delights in me. This is something that I often have a hard time believing. But I want God's love to wash over me, to quiet my soul, to show me what is truth. I hope you know how much God loves you! Perhaps like me, you need to discover this in a new way today.

This verse brought to mind a neat song based on the words of this passage. Here is the song:

"Sing Over Me" by Bethany Dillon

I live in the wonder of Your love
You rise like the sun in my heart
Even when the night draws near to me
There You are

I will wade in the water of mercy
I will walk in the light of Your will
Whatever should come against me
Teach me to be still

As you Sing over me
Draw me close to rest in Your peace
Sing over me
Oh, sing

Sing of Your unending faithfulness
That knows no doubt or fear
In the face of all that I don't know yet
Remind me of who You are

You are mighty
You will save
Rejoice over me with singing
You will quiet
By Your love
Glory over me with singing

God's Heart for all the Nations

This weekend I attended a conference on sharing the Gospel with Muslim peoples. This was really an amazing day and a half of stories and learning from former Muslims who have found the Truth of Jesus Christ. We had some good times of singing, speakers, and breakout workshops.

God is doing some amazing work among Muslim peoples, but there is much work to be done. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, and is taking over Europe and even the United States. There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. In France for example, one out of every 6 people is a Muslim.

Muslims who become Christians face many difficulties. They must confront their families and face possible rejection. Many of the Muslim background believers face threats on their life because they will not go back to their Muslim faith. One girl who lives in Los Vegas told the story of when she became a Christian, her uncles came from India to question her. They beat her with a hard-back copy of the Qur’an, the holy book for the Muslims, and she was in the hospital for quite some time. Her father beat her up in a grocery store parking lot. But her faith remains strong, and she is committed to telling her story so that people will know persecution happens even in the US.

So what can we do? First of all, we need to pray for God to continue to reveal himself to the Muslim people, so that they will know the Truth. Second, we need to build relationships with Muslim people. This is really the best way to share the Gospel with them. This takes much time, patience and great love. We need to invite them into our homes and get to know more about their culture and religion. Many Muslims believe that Christians are no different from the movies they see of Americans and consider them to be hypocrites. We need to show them we are different by loving them with Christ’s love. Also, a huge need in many other countries is for discipleship of new believers. In Iran, for example, thousands are coming to Christ, but with no one to shepherd them and teach them the Bible, they are being led astray by anything that might have the label “Christian” on it. We need to look beyond just “converting” someone, to really teaching them to obey Christ’s commands.

This conference continued the learning process for me on outreach to Muslim peoples, and I’m excited to see what opportunities God gives me to live out what I’ve learned.