will she die alone?
that in and of itself isn't so much the depressing question it at first appears in light of the following qualifiers:
will she die contentedly alone or lonely?
time will tell its story and the ending will be no bigger a surprise to anyone than herself.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Will you still be my friend?
I'm not sure if you'll still be my friend after I begin to divulge some of my health-maintenance secrets, but ... I'm gonna do it anyway. I'm getting healthy on you here ... I've not entered too many health-related posts on here (ever?) but can't stop the flow any longer. Taking care of the body I've been given is one of my greatest convictions/passions. Educating others in the pursuit of the same follows closely behind. This first entry finds me voicing my love of apple cider vinegar ... it serves as the base for most of my skin/hair care and diet needs. I've used ACV as a hair rinse (directions follow below) for close to two years now and will never stop using it. My hair thanks me for it ... thick, healthy, shiny. It looks infinitely better than with any other conditioner I've ever used and you can't compete with the price! I also use ACV as a facial toner twice a day and my skin has never felt/looked better. I'd even go so far as to say that it actually glows and my complexion is so much clearer than when I used over the counter product on it. ACV has a pH balance almost the same as your skin's natural balance which makes for a very safe, non-harsh cleanser for every skin type. You might balk at the thought of putting something smelly on your skin, but trust me, once its on and dried, you can't smell it. Besides, if it did, wouldn't you have noticed it on me before? :)
The following info was taken from a very comprehensive and helpful website, Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits.
Vinegar Hair Rinse – Natural Hair Care Product
Hair is on the mildly acidic side of the pH scale and has an ideal pH of 4.5 to 5.5, which is close to that of an apple cider vinegar rinse (pH 2.9).
On the other hand, many of the hair care products we use, such as soap-based shampoos, bleaches, hair colors, and permanents are strongly alkaline.
Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of these styling products and inexpensive shampoos.
Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.
Don't worry about the slight vinegar smell you will notice after rinsing. It will disappear completely as your hair dries.
Make your own healthy after-shampoo hair rinse by mixing 1/3 of a cup (75 ml) of ACV into a quart (1 liter) of water. You can then store this mixture in a plastic bottle and keep it in the shower for ready use.
If you would like to prepare a smaller batch of this vinegar hair rinse recipe to experiment with, try mixing 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup (250 ml) of warm filtered tap water.
Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and then rinse it all out, or for extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse on your hair. This natural hair care product can be used once or twice a week or more often as needed.
(Erika's note - I mix up the smaller 1 cup amnt of rinse and keep in the shower, using 1-2 times a week, and rinse it out. Praying the Lord's Prayer is usually a long enough time to get it rinsed thoroughly and doesn't hurt your heart-health either. :)
Facial Toner
Mix one teaspoon of cider vinegar and two tablespoons of water in a cup. Make as much as you want and keep in the toner bottle that you remembered to not throw away ... the one your old stuff was in (the stuff that you won't be using anymore). A funnel is handy for transferring the liquid. This mixture keeps well and works for all sorts of general cleansing purposes, scrapes, bug bites, ear piercings, armpits (well, that's for a whole separate post) ...
Let me know if you like it! Don't give up, it takes a little while to get your mind wrapped around it, but its so worth it!
The following info was taken from a very comprehensive and helpful website, Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits.
Vinegar Hair Rinse – Natural Hair Care Product
Hair is on the mildly acidic side of the pH scale and has an ideal pH of 4.5 to 5.5, which is close to that of an apple cider vinegar rinse (pH 2.9).
On the other hand, many of the hair care products we use, such as soap-based shampoos, bleaches, hair colors, and permanents are strongly alkaline.
Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup that can result from the use of these styling products and inexpensive shampoos.
Rinsing will also close the numerous cuticle scales which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage.
Don't worry about the slight vinegar smell you will notice after rinsing. It will disappear completely as your hair dries.
Make your own healthy after-shampoo hair rinse by mixing 1/3 of a cup (75 ml) of ACV into a quart (1 liter) of water. You can then store this mixture in a plastic bottle and keep it in the shower for ready use.
If you would like to prepare a smaller batch of this vinegar hair rinse recipe to experiment with, try mixing 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup (250 ml) of warm filtered tap water.
Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and then rinse it all out, or for extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse on your hair. This natural hair care product can be used once or twice a week or more often as needed.
(Erika's note - I mix up the smaller 1 cup amnt of rinse and keep in the shower, using 1-2 times a week, and rinse it out. Praying the Lord's Prayer is usually a long enough time to get it rinsed thoroughly and doesn't hurt your heart-health either. :)
Facial Toner
Mix one teaspoon of cider vinegar and two tablespoons of water in a cup. Make as much as you want and keep in the toner bottle that you remembered to not throw away ... the one your old stuff was in (the stuff that you won't be using anymore). A funnel is handy for transferring the liquid. This mixture keeps well and works for all sorts of general cleansing purposes, scrapes, bug bites, ear piercings, armpits (well, that's for a whole separate post) ...
Let me know if you like it! Don't give up, it takes a little while to get your mind wrapped around it, but its so worth it!
Monday, March 02, 2009
StoryPeople - Brian Andreas
I like people until they give me reason not to, she said.
Some days they just drop like flies, though, she added.
Norwegian/American baking - my heritage
These bars are quite rich so make them sparingly ... or at least only when you're sure you won't be stuck with leftovers ... on a weekend when you're home by yourself ... with nothing to do but stare at them longingly ...
Rommegrot Bars
• 2 cans original crescent rolls (make sure they’re the triangular strips, not the pre-separated rolls)
• 2 – 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened (the real stuff, not low fat)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup sugar (can use less, if desired)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
Grease a 9x13 pan well. Unroll one can of crescent rolls and press into bottom of pan. Mix cream cheese, cup of sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Spread mixture in pan and cover with second can of crescent rolls. Beat remaining egg white until foamy and spread on top. Top with 1/3 cup of sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Keep refrigerated. Serve with coffee, but I'm sure you were already planning on doing that.
Rommegrot Bars
• 2 cans original crescent rolls (make sure they’re the triangular strips, not the pre-separated rolls)
• 2 – 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened (the real stuff, not low fat)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup sugar (can use less, if desired)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
Grease a 9x13 pan well. Unroll one can of crescent rolls and press into bottom of pan. Mix cream cheese, cup of sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Spread mixture in pan and cover with second can of crescent rolls. Beat remaining egg white until foamy and spread on top. Top with 1/3 cup of sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Keep refrigerated. Serve with coffee, but I'm sure you were already planning on doing that.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A bit of happiness
Do you want to be loved forever? Make this dessert and you will never lack for friends. Easy Sticky-Toffee Dessert is exactly what it says, super easy and incredibly satisfying. It ranks in the top three of desserts I've ever had/made. Give it whirl.
Easy Sticky-Toffee Dessert, recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson, 2007
Time: 60 min Level: Easy Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients for the cake
Butter, to grease baking dish, plus 1/4 cup, melted
Scant 1/3 c dark brown sugar, packed
1 c plus 2 Tbsp self-rising flour
1/2 c whole milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp chopped, rolled dates
For the sauce
3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
Approximately 2 Tbsp unsalted butter in little blobs
2 1/4 c boiling water
Directions for the cake
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and butter a 1 1/2-quart capacity baking dish. Combine the sugar with the flour in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a measuring cup, beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Fold in the dates then scrape into the prepared baking dish. Don't worry if it doesn't look very full; it will by the time it cooks.
Directions for the sauce
Sprinkle the sugar over the cake mixture and dot with butter. Pour over the boiling water (yes really!) and transfer to the oven. Set the time for 45 minutes, though you might find the dessert needs 5 or 10 minutes more. The top of the dessert should be springy and spongy when it's cooked; underneath, the butter, dark brown sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream, creme fraiche or heavy or light cream, as you wish.
Easy Sticky-Toffee Dessert, recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson, 2007
Time: 60 min Level: Easy Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients for the cake
Butter, to grease baking dish, plus 1/4 cup, melted
Scant 1/3 c dark brown sugar, packed
1 c plus 2 Tbsp self-rising flour
1/2 c whole milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp chopped, rolled dates
For the sauce
3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
Approximately 2 Tbsp unsalted butter in little blobs
2 1/4 c boiling water
Directions for the cake
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and butter a 1 1/2-quart capacity baking dish. Combine the sugar with the flour in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a measuring cup, beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Fold in the dates then scrape into the prepared baking dish. Don't worry if it doesn't look very full; it will by the time it cooks.
Directions for the sauce
Sprinkle the sugar over the cake mixture and dot with butter. Pour over the boiling water (yes really!) and transfer to the oven. Set the time for 45 minutes, though you might find the dessert needs 5 or 10 minutes more. The top of the dessert should be springy and spongy when it's cooked; underneath, the butter, dark brown sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream, creme fraiche or heavy or light cream, as you wish.
Friday, February 20, 2009
minnesota
minnesota is so much more than just a location where i happened to fall and sprout. it is the story of my journey to find my heritage and in the process, discovering myself.
minnesota is the smell of sweet, cut hay suspended in the humid, summer air.
minnesota is the sound of nothing but the sun setting, the gentle lapping of 10,000 lakes on the shore and the gossiping of the crickets and cicadas about the bullfrogs.
minnesota is minnesota public radio and a prairie home companion.
minnesota is snowfall and buried vehicles.
minnesota is the automatic addition of vests (down, fleece, flannel, wool) to everyday winter wear, both inside and out of doors, as necessary as ones' underpants.
minnesota is dark coffee and kringla.
minnesota is the st. olaf college choir's christmas concerts.
minnesota is the breathtaking colors of fall, turning leaves on the north shore, dying, falling and crunching quietly underfoot.
minnesota is the cracking of ice and the rush of melting snow, determined budding trees, giddy songbirds and the ethereal scent of new grass.
minnesota is throngs of people awaking from winter slumbers and descending upon summer art fairs and open air music festivals.
minnesota is training your eyes to spot loons on a choppy lake and falling asleep to their plaintive cries.
minnesota is the minneapolis institute of arts and the american swedish museum.
minnesota is arctic cat jackets and flannel-lined jeans, carhartts and mad-bomber hats.
minnesota is cheap beer, bonfires and mosquitoe repellant.
minnesota is a long drive up to the north shore, camping, kayaking, portaging and sleeping under the stars by lake superior, then gorging at betty’s pies on the way home.
minnesota is lutheran choral music and norwegian hair ribbons.
minnesota is when with the significantly fewer hours of daily sun and frequent overcast days I only use my sunglasses 2-3 days in any given winter month.
minnesota is when you step outside to start your car on a winter morning and it feels so much warmer than the last couple days, only to discover that today’s high temp of +4F feels so much warmer than the last couple days’ highs of -10F.
minnesota is having the luxury of your car double as extra fridge/freezer space in the winter.
minnesota is detailing your dirty car outside while its 25F and snowing and seeing nothing out of the ordinary with that.
minnesota is a drive up to duluth and wandering the historic port town, viewing the tug boats in two harbors and catching the sunset in grand marais.
minnesota is getting every inch of your skin eaten alive when the week your family picks to go camping in ely in the late spring also happens to be the peak week of biting black fly season.
minnesota is going to bed for the night with the sleeping, winter ground bare and waking up to 4 inches of beautiful, sparkling, fresh powder.
minnesota is the smell of sweet, cut hay suspended in the humid, summer air.
minnesota is the sound of nothing but the sun setting, the gentle lapping of 10,000 lakes on the shore and the gossiping of the crickets and cicadas about the bullfrogs.
minnesota is minnesota public radio and a prairie home companion.
minnesota is snowfall and buried vehicles.
minnesota is the automatic addition of vests (down, fleece, flannel, wool) to everyday winter wear, both inside and out of doors, as necessary as ones' underpants.
minnesota is dark coffee and kringla.
minnesota is the st. olaf college choir's christmas concerts.
minnesota is the breathtaking colors of fall, turning leaves on the north shore, dying, falling and crunching quietly underfoot.
minnesota is the cracking of ice and the rush of melting snow, determined budding trees, giddy songbirds and the ethereal scent of new grass.
minnesota is throngs of people awaking from winter slumbers and descending upon summer art fairs and open air music festivals.
minnesota is training your eyes to spot loons on a choppy lake and falling asleep to their plaintive cries.
minnesota is the minneapolis institute of arts and the american swedish museum.
minnesota is arctic cat jackets and flannel-lined jeans, carhartts and mad-bomber hats.
minnesota is cheap beer, bonfires and mosquitoe repellant.
minnesota is a long drive up to the north shore, camping, kayaking, portaging and sleeping under the stars by lake superior, then gorging at betty’s pies on the way home.
minnesota is lutheran choral music and norwegian hair ribbons.
minnesota is when with the significantly fewer hours of daily sun and frequent overcast days I only use my sunglasses 2-3 days in any given winter month.
minnesota is when you step outside to start your car on a winter morning and it feels so much warmer than the last couple days, only to discover that today’s high temp of +4F feels so much warmer than the last couple days’ highs of -10F.
minnesota is having the luxury of your car double as extra fridge/freezer space in the winter.
minnesota is detailing your dirty car outside while its 25F and snowing and seeing nothing out of the ordinary with that.
minnesota is a drive up to duluth and wandering the historic port town, viewing the tug boats in two harbors and catching the sunset in grand marais.
minnesota is getting every inch of your skin eaten alive when the week your family picks to go camping in ely in the late spring also happens to be the peak week of biting black fly season.
minnesota is going to bed for the night with the sleeping, winter ground bare and waking up to 4 inches of beautiful, sparkling, fresh powder.
Temperance
There is such a sweet beauty and attraction in temperance, a refreshing place in the land between excess and denial. Its residents enjoy the simple delights and bounty of life, but own the strength of will to not be enslaved by them. Overindulgence is no one’s master and the goodness of life is enjoyed in moderation and gratitude as a fine gift. A person of true temperance (not just of temporary self-denial) is an oasis in the wilderness of obsession. They are alive and astute to recognize and receive with grace and gratitude the excellent things but their respect for themselves, the beauty of those good things and the Giver of good things maintains an unwillingness to mar the purity of these good things by excessiveness. Their deference to beauty and purity is a refreshing reminder to revisit reverence often. These ones have not forgotten that reverence for God involves recognizing His characteristics and goodness in all of His gifts, accepting them all as good and right, even necessary in this, though temporary and mortal life. Delighting in the goodness of His provision they enjoy with temperance the perfect gifts He has given, practicing moderation by neither refusing all in the name of self-denial or over-indulging, playing the glutton.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
StoryPeople - Brian Andreas
Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Legacy, Part 2 - Nov. '08
So what’s my legacy? As a single woman the twin themes that God has impressed on my mind are holiness/purity and the place of the wilderness, dual themes laying claim to a life of faithful obedience springing from a place of trust. Singleness is my testing ground of discipline and devotion to Him, a time of preparation. This is the time where the purity of my heart (or pretense thereof) is seen for what it really is. Now is the time when I have no husband to answer to but the Lord. He is the One watching me, the One who cares deeply about who I am in private, the One who wants to teach me to love. Though singleness may seem at times like a difficult time of discipline, it is also a gift of a season, a time when I can give Him my undivided heart and let Him see it for what is, in both its beauty and its unattractiveness.
Hosea 2:14, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her.” For each person the wilderness looks different and each season of life brings different types of wilderness. Every time He pulls one of His children aside it is not to simply leave them suffering alone, though it may feel like it. The individual conversations He longs to have with you in this place of quiet and solitude are unique to your person, your heart, your mind, your needs, your desires, and your situation. But for now I know that singleness/celibacy is my wilderness. Now is the time where I let God be what I long for in a husband. Now is the time when my mind and heart can be happily, undividedly and undistractedly His.
Yes, there are times when this season is punctuated with loneliness and the particular longing for that threatening but sweet intimacy and accountability, the need for affirmation and the closeness of friendship with the husband I may never own. But these emotions ought to drive me to the heart of my Loving Maker because not only is His character the creating source of intimacy but the answer to these feelings as well. My longing heart should not, and does not, seek satisfaction in tiny morsels of daydreaming, fantasies and wishful thinking but in the feast of the reality of the deep intimacy I daily share with the Lord.
I’m learning to let God be the answer to every longing in my heart, to give Him the opportunity to show me how He can surprise me and surpass everything I’ve hoped for. God has a unique habit of being excessive in His grace. When I go to Him for affirmation and companionship He doesn’t just fill my need, He eagerly overflows my empty places, creating additional and unexpected pools of blessing and character. True, I still experience loneliness from time to time, and that’s okay. But I’ve found that my emotional and physical longings are most diminished / absent when I am most contented in Him.
Of course God refines us in every season of our lives, no matter where we’re at. There is never a wrong season. Every time in our life is the right time to let God have His way. But for those of us who aren’t married, singleness/celibacy can be a wonderful season of preparation. Naturally, responding to His discipline is up to me. Holiness and purity is not easy. It isn’t born overnight but is birthed over time, through long labor-pains of hard decisions, bad days, wrong choices, humbling apologies, the persistent pursuit of wisdom and discernment and regular, honest intercession.
My wilderness is a gift of a season wherein my pretentious purity can be transformed and perfected. Now is my time of preparation. So what will my legacy be?
Hosea 2:14, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her.” For each person the wilderness looks different and each season of life brings different types of wilderness. Every time He pulls one of His children aside it is not to simply leave them suffering alone, though it may feel like it. The individual conversations He longs to have with you in this place of quiet and solitude are unique to your person, your heart, your mind, your needs, your desires, and your situation. But for now I know that singleness/celibacy is my wilderness. Now is the time where I let God be what I long for in a husband. Now is the time when my mind and heart can be happily, undividedly and undistractedly His.
Yes, there are times when this season is punctuated with loneliness and the particular longing for that threatening but sweet intimacy and accountability, the need for affirmation and the closeness of friendship with the husband I may never own. But these emotions ought to drive me to the heart of my Loving Maker because not only is His character the creating source of intimacy but the answer to these feelings as well. My longing heart should not, and does not, seek satisfaction in tiny morsels of daydreaming, fantasies and wishful thinking but in the feast of the reality of the deep intimacy I daily share with the Lord.
I’m learning to let God be the answer to every longing in my heart, to give Him the opportunity to show me how He can surprise me and surpass everything I’ve hoped for. God has a unique habit of being excessive in His grace. When I go to Him for affirmation and companionship He doesn’t just fill my need, He eagerly overflows my empty places, creating additional and unexpected pools of blessing and character. True, I still experience loneliness from time to time, and that’s okay. But I’ve found that my emotional and physical longings are most diminished / absent when I am most contented in Him.
Of course God refines us in every season of our lives, no matter where we’re at. There is never a wrong season. Every time in our life is the right time to let God have His way. But for those of us who aren’t married, singleness/celibacy can be a wonderful season of preparation. Naturally, responding to His discipline is up to me. Holiness and purity is not easy. It isn’t born overnight but is birthed over time, through long labor-pains of hard decisions, bad days, wrong choices, humbling apologies, the persistent pursuit of wisdom and discernment and regular, honest intercession.
My wilderness is a gift of a season wherein my pretentious purity can be transformed and perfected. Now is my time of preparation. So what will my legacy be?
Thursday, December 25, 2008
To tell a story ...
Aching contentment.
Longing satisfaction.
God’s deepest desires echoed in our own.
Not out of necessity for existence but of longing does He ache to be known, understood, enjoyed. This, His heart’s calling, translates to our own. But where His desire comes from a place of longing, ours comes from necessity. Our fragile humanity necessitates being known to exist well. Our personal understanding of longing finds its source with His original beckonings. He knows what its like to want to share your life with another … to breathe your own story into the lungs of another who will breath it in and out, every second of their existence, sharing the beauty and the disaster … knowing your story so intimately that they are able to retell it in rare clarity. They know the dots and the dashes, the breath marks, the pauses, the crescendos and nuances, the emotions behind the story and the punch-lines. They know it all. And as they breathe your story in and out it is a living testimony that your story is worth retelling, in their own form and fashion, in their own way. And as they retell your story in the moments of their own, yours and theirs together become woven into one, inextricably tied and knotted together. Your reality becomes theirs.
Your longing fulfills theirs and both are mutually satisfied.
He knows exactly what that feels like.
Longing satisfaction.
God’s deepest desires echoed in our own.
Not out of necessity for existence but of longing does He ache to be known, understood, enjoyed. This, His heart’s calling, translates to our own. But where His desire comes from a place of longing, ours comes from necessity. Our fragile humanity necessitates being known to exist well. Our personal understanding of longing finds its source with His original beckonings. He knows what its like to want to share your life with another … to breathe your own story into the lungs of another who will breath it in and out, every second of their existence, sharing the beauty and the disaster … knowing your story so intimately that they are able to retell it in rare clarity. They know the dots and the dashes, the breath marks, the pauses, the crescendos and nuances, the emotions behind the story and the punch-lines. They know it all. And as they breathe your story in and out it is a living testimony that your story is worth retelling, in their own form and fashion, in their own way. And as they retell your story in the moments of their own, yours and theirs together become woven into one, inextricably tied and knotted together. Your reality becomes theirs.
Your longing fulfills theirs and both are mutually satisfied.
He knows exactly what that feels like.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Legacy
I recently was a part of a women’s group that studied Elizabeth George’s “A Woman after God’s Own Heart”. I was asked to share some thoughts on a chapter that focused on being one that leaves a legacy. As I spent time thinking about what a legacy of being a woman after God’s heart looks like I thought of the legacy of Truth that has been imparted to me, and the uphill battle God has of creating a legacy of holiness in my life. Here are a woman’s thoughts to other women ...
TRUTH / REVELATION would be my mom’s life pursuit and greatest passion. God’s truth and the revelation of His character are most important to her; it always has been and always will be. She’s always been a student and a researcher, teaching us with her words and through her lifestyle that truth is to be pursued at all costs. It is deserving of all our time and energies and the value of the wisdom that grows from it has no price. Truth brings light, it brings understanding, it lays an accurate foundation of reality whereupon to build your life and it is a basic attribute of God – God is truth.
But I’ve learned, I think more importantly than the worth of truth itself, that being a faithful steward of truth is an even greater responsibility than simply knowing truth. The one who is entrusted with the treasure of truth is entrusted with so much more than simple knowledge or information.
We are caretakers of the lives around us. “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) No matter who we are or where we live we are a part of a community. Your community may be your neighborhood, your coworkers, your church, your friends or your family and every member is an image-bearer of the holy Creator. Whether we wish to be a member of a community or not our proximity to the lives around us and our intrinsic value before God makes us accountable for how we treat each other.
As the application of truth happens on a daily basis within the context of our communities we quickly see that it’s harder to be a loving, tactful, holder of truth than just one who knows things and dispenses gathered knowledge at will. Truth can be so much more than a simple medium to be used and spent where it is helpful or convenient. It should be invested wisely in your own life first, and in the lives of those around you.
Truth holds much power and it should be handled carefully. It has the power to heal or to hurt. It has the potential to bring freedom or to shame. It can be used to encourage or to demean. So truth must always be handled with ample amounts of grace, mercy, wisdom and discernment. Truth in human hands may seem at times a dangerous thing but only Love has the power to keep Truth in check. Love is Truth’s keeper. Love is what takes simple information and turns it into words of encouragement. Love takes constructive criticism and uses it to empower people to live rightly. Love is the sensitivity to know when not to use knowledge, even when intelligence thinks it should be.
As women, we’re talkers. But God has also gifted us with the precious virtues of grace, mercy, patience, forgiveness, wisdom, empathy and of course, love. Women are like the keepers of the lighthouse … the loving, tender caretakers of truth passing on an incredible legacy, a role no one else can fill quite like us.
A daily quiet time in Scripture and prayer is the only place to gain both the understanding of truth and the character that can be entrusted with it. I am so grateful that both my mom and dad have exemplified for their children the importance of a daily quiet time. It was normal to get up in the morning and see my dad in his big easy chair or at the dining table spending time in the Word before he went out for work. And whenever we would go into my parent’s room to say goodnight, mom was always there in bed with her notebooks and her much-loved Bible that’s falling apart at the seams.
While my mom’s passion for truth has been passed on to me, I’ve learned many things about the pursuit and handling of truth. I’ve learned to be careful and I’ve learned the power of words. I’ve learned that sometimes saying nothing is more powerful than proclaiming truths from God’s Word. I’ve learned that a well placed word is worth much. I’ve learned that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. My mom quite often didn’t do everything right. She would say things before she realized what they would sound like and I make the same mistake all the time. But I knew the good intentions of her heart were there, that she loved God more than anything else and that she only wanted God’s best for us. She was a faithful steward with what she’d been given and that’s what God is looking for.
Part 2 of Legacy … coming soon
TRUTH / REVELATION would be my mom’s life pursuit and greatest passion. God’s truth and the revelation of His character are most important to her; it always has been and always will be. She’s always been a student and a researcher, teaching us with her words and through her lifestyle that truth is to be pursued at all costs. It is deserving of all our time and energies and the value of the wisdom that grows from it has no price. Truth brings light, it brings understanding, it lays an accurate foundation of reality whereupon to build your life and it is a basic attribute of God – God is truth.
But I’ve learned, I think more importantly than the worth of truth itself, that being a faithful steward of truth is an even greater responsibility than simply knowing truth. The one who is entrusted with the treasure of truth is entrusted with so much more than simple knowledge or information.
We are caretakers of the lives around us. “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) No matter who we are or where we live we are a part of a community. Your community may be your neighborhood, your coworkers, your church, your friends or your family and every member is an image-bearer of the holy Creator. Whether we wish to be a member of a community or not our proximity to the lives around us and our intrinsic value before God makes us accountable for how we treat each other.
As the application of truth happens on a daily basis within the context of our communities we quickly see that it’s harder to be a loving, tactful, holder of truth than just one who knows things and dispenses gathered knowledge at will. Truth can be so much more than a simple medium to be used and spent where it is helpful or convenient. It should be invested wisely in your own life first, and in the lives of those around you.
Truth holds much power and it should be handled carefully. It has the power to heal or to hurt. It has the potential to bring freedom or to shame. It can be used to encourage or to demean. So truth must always be handled with ample amounts of grace, mercy, wisdom and discernment. Truth in human hands may seem at times a dangerous thing but only Love has the power to keep Truth in check. Love is Truth’s keeper. Love is what takes simple information and turns it into words of encouragement. Love takes constructive criticism and uses it to empower people to live rightly. Love is the sensitivity to know when not to use knowledge, even when intelligence thinks it should be.
As women, we’re talkers. But God has also gifted us with the precious virtues of grace, mercy, patience, forgiveness, wisdom, empathy and of course, love. Women are like the keepers of the lighthouse … the loving, tender caretakers of truth passing on an incredible legacy, a role no one else can fill quite like us.
A daily quiet time in Scripture and prayer is the only place to gain both the understanding of truth and the character that can be entrusted with it. I am so grateful that both my mom and dad have exemplified for their children the importance of a daily quiet time. It was normal to get up in the morning and see my dad in his big easy chair or at the dining table spending time in the Word before he went out for work. And whenever we would go into my parent’s room to say goodnight, mom was always there in bed with her notebooks and her much-loved Bible that’s falling apart at the seams.
While my mom’s passion for truth has been passed on to me, I’ve learned many things about the pursuit and handling of truth. I’ve learned to be careful and I’ve learned the power of words. I’ve learned that sometimes saying nothing is more powerful than proclaiming truths from God’s Word. I’ve learned that a well placed word is worth much. I’ve learned that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. My mom quite often didn’t do everything right. She would say things before she realized what they would sound like and I make the same mistake all the time. But I knew the good intentions of her heart were there, that she loved God more than anything else and that she only wanted God’s best for us. She was a faithful steward with what she’d been given and that’s what God is looking for.
Part 2 of Legacy … coming soon
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I know winter just got started, what with our overnight single digits and all and our fresh, long-awaited covering of snow, but I can't help looking ahead to spring and the promise of dirt under my fingernails. For anyone who ever does yard work (whether you enjoy it or not) this website is most helpful for figuring out if that scraggly little shrub is a beautiful native plant or an invasive weed.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo/weedid/
http://www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo/weedid/
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Must read
"Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology" by Eugene Peterson
His conversational style of writing makes for a comfortable and ambling read, but it won't produce a paradigm shift unless you're intentional and attentive. This has already proven to be one of the more formative books I've read yet.
His conversational style of writing makes for a comfortable and ambling read, but it won't produce a paradigm shift unless you're intentional and attentive. This has already proven to be one of the more formative books I've read yet.
Friday, November 14, 2008
I’ve decided to blog again. I haven’t written since the date stamp on my last post, for which there are a few reasons. I started this blog when I left the Twin Cities to spend a year in Tyler, TX to go through missions training with Youth With A Mission. My intention was to use this as means of conveying news and communicating with family and friends back home. When I returned home I continued writing infrequently and sporadically. But over time I felt that continuing to communicate this way was superfluous, so I quit writing. I also felt that my words were going out into a dark abyss of emptiness, my writing consisting mostly of random drivel and ramblings on.
I’ve never been a regular writer. My journal entries come and go in fits and starts. I internalize most things and frequently frustrate because my writing is so much slower than my thought processes. But a recent conversation with a dear friend who suggested I rethink my posting sabbatical prompted me to do just that. After all, I do write once upon an occasion, and it is in human inclination to want to be heard. But more than simply the desire to be heard but for the hope that these occasional posts will edify have I changed my mind. Therefore I will post.
I don’t promise a very great quantity of content. My goal is to post a handful of times a month as the urge arrests me. I will do my best. Feel free to post comments but be forewarned, a reply is not guaranteed and I most likely won’t comment on your comment. Thank you for reading. I hope you’ll be edified.
I’ve never been a regular writer. My journal entries come and go in fits and starts. I internalize most things and frequently frustrate because my writing is so much slower than my thought processes. But a recent conversation with a dear friend who suggested I rethink my posting sabbatical prompted me to do just that. After all, I do write once upon an occasion, and it is in human inclination to want to be heard. But more than simply the desire to be heard but for the hope that these occasional posts will edify have I changed my mind. Therefore I will post.
I don’t promise a very great quantity of content. My goal is to post a handful of times a month as the urge arrests me. I will do my best. Feel free to post comments but be forewarned, a reply is not guaranteed and I most likely won’t comment on your comment. Thank you for reading. I hope you’ll be edified.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Journal entry, February '07
In my eagerness to walk out in the "responsibility" of my own free will I took command of my own life and choices. Quiet times with You stopped because of the nagging fear of hearing Your quiet voice of correction, gently encouraging me not to settle for that which is not Your highest. Such feelings of deep regret and sadness, but now such expectation of greater things to come. This is one thing that can be said for the slough of despond - after the moment of repentance we turn around and gasp. Instead of looking straight ahead at the things to come we are pleased to have to look up, for things can only get better. There is such a fascinating juxtaposition of grief and ecstasy as we stand in the valley, gazing up to the clouded, towering peaks ahead.
succeeding at nothing
People of compromise compel those with whom they associate to aim at nothing in particular, and that is exactly what they achieve. If you aim at nothing that is one thing at which you will be sure to succeed. All it takes is one who is willing to compromise and it lowers the standards of the whole lot.
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