Musings

Sometimes I don't feel much. Life feels like a continuously expanding to-do list, and I get in "task mode" and wonder why I want to pull away from everything. In the moment I struggle to put my finger on it, but I know I need a break. And then something awakens my senses and it's the epitome of refreshment. Last night, it was listening to Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part , the song I walked down the aisle to, which Matt and I often listened to in our little studio apartment in Chicago. It also reminded me of the times I picnicked at the Pritzker Pavilion while listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on amazing summer days in the city. There's something about old memories that help me be less detached from myself. As I talked to Matt about this, he said something along the lines of, "that's why art is so human." Because it reminds us that we're not just here to do tasks and stay alive. Art seems like an extra, because it's not ...

Whenever I hear people talk about trying to view parenting as ministry (or even your most important ministry!), I think of things like family/bedtime devotions, and serving--because our babies and toddlers need our help with most things. So, we read the children's Bibles and theology flash cards and pray together and I clean the children and all the things and make the food and carry them and get up in the middle of the night, etc. And I definitely have room to improve with the discipling and serving. But what good is all that if my interactions with my children throughout the day are not loving? Parenting a toddler has made it exceedingly clear to me how much I struggle with patience and gentleness. I feel like Paul in Romans 7, because I hate the thought of talking down to my kids or yelling or expressing my frustration or annoyance... but I struggle to stop doing what I hate!  This past weekend I was at a marriage seminar with teaching from Dave Harvey, and the idea that ...

I've always loved deviled eggs, but can never bring myself to hard boil and peel eggs. Ugh. But, Costco saves the day again! They have organic hard boiled, peeled eggs at a wonderful price. So suddenly the thought of making deviled eggs feels possible! Here's how I did it. I know if you're making this as an appetizer, you'll do a much bigger batch, but these were just for Matt and I :) Ingredients: 3 hard boiled, peeled eggs 1/8 cup Miracle Whip Light 1/2 tsp yellow mustard Several drops buffalo/hot sauce Pinch of salt Paprika Cut the eggs in half length-wise. Squeeze each half to pop the yolks into a bowl (SO EASY). Also put in the bowl the rest of the ingredients, except paprika. Use a fork to mix it all up. Then spoon the mixture back into the eggs. If you want them to look fancy, feel free to pull out your frosting supplies and pipe the filling into the egg whites. But I decided sprinkled paprika is fancy enough for me!

Sometimes even those of us who pride ourselves in making things from scratch finally get honest with ourselves and admit we need to compromise. Since I was making all of our food for Christmas, one compromise was buying pie crust instead of making it from scratch. And since I bought it at Costco, I had a bunch in the freezer. So here I am, finally using some more of that pie crust. And it is delicious and I have no shame!  I decided to start with a Betty Crocker recipe and make some modifications to my liking instead of wasting time searching online amongst everyone claiming their recipe is the best. Here's what I ended up with: 1 1/2 cups (roughly) peas, sliced carrots, and sliced mushrooms (or you can switch these with celery, broccoli, or cauliflower if that's what you like) 1/2 cup chopped onion (I used leeks) 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken (another suggestion for convenience: use a rotisserie chicken!) 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups chicken...

I went to a show on Friday. I'm embarrassed to say that it was the first show I've been to in a few years. It was a benefit concert with opening bands I had never heard of. Really I was there to see my favorite ska band ever. But I need to find some new music... I feel like such an old person when all I listen to are CD's I bought 7-10 years ago. So I listened to the opening bands too. The first band took the stage. Cue fog machine and fancy lights, and background track with a creepy voice recording for the creepy-looking guitarist to mouth along to... I'm not impressed. Really the music wasn't terrible. It was a flashback relief to FEEL bass instead of straining to hear it beneath the vocals (which is what happens at most churches--the primary place I hear live music these days). I was reminded of my "bass chick" days, as the lead singer thrashed/danced around with intensity I could never fake. As he stood on the monitors in his skinny jeans and prompte...

I think relevance isn't about being "cool." It's probably not even so much about culture. I think it's about pointing out God's work. I was thinking about how I love hand-made stuff, how I love beautiful things like waterfalls and paintings and music and trees and fire and clouds and people--people who live for important things and hold their ground respectfully, people who are humble and want to teach others, people who are quick to encourage and full of joy--and how confessing these things as being from God makes Him relevant. A lot of people seem to experience His relevance in the opposite way--He allows/causes disasters and trauma, He fuels the radical conservative politicians and TV preachers, or He is absent and harsh (based on loneliness and guilt). One of the things that has stood out to me from Donald Miller (I'm reading Blue Like Jazz now) is how people do things because of what affects their hearts: I don't believe I will ever walk awa...

This book I've been reading has been rocking my socks off. I bought it several years ago--it is one of many books which I've packed and unpacked each time I've moved and thought, "I wish I had time to read that right now." I've been reading a chapter a day for the last week or so. And every day I get that "Man, I wish everyone could read this book!" feeling. It's a Christian book, a creative telling of the Gospel, that I would feel totally comfortable recommending to my non-Christian peers. Searching for God Knows What  (there are super cheap used copies on Amazon, if I'm convincing you it might be worth reading). For those of us Christians who talk a lot about ideas and trends and like to analyze often, there has been lots of talk about postmodernity, narrative, our need for relationship, what the Gospel is, etc. Some people enjoy reading thick books by theologians to understand such things. Others want things that are easier to read in or...