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Categories Recap

Recap (5/3/2013)

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This was a light week as blog reading and recipe-trying goes…

Books added to my TBR list:

  • Blood Work by Anthony J. Carter (reviewed by Tim Challies)
    All about how the blood of Christ accomplishes our salvation. An excerpt from the book:

    “His precious blood signified His precious life and His precious death. Consequently, the redeemed do not receive a blood transfusion from God. We receive a life transfusion–His death for our death, His life for our life. It is all according to His precious blood, which satisfies God’s righteous requirements for life and justice.”

    I feel like this is the sort of book that would not only increase my knowledge, but increase my worship of the One who bled for me.

Recipes Tried:

  • Caprese Grilled Cheese (from Serious Eats)
    Wow! This was incredibly yummy. I DID think grilling both sides of the bread was overkill-but overall? Amazing.

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: God

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Thankful Thursday bannerRemember a few months back, when I wrote about how life was hard?

It still is.

It might even be harder.

About a month ago, my body started doing weird things. I cry a half dozen times a day for reasons I don’t understand. Absolutely everything, and nothing, sets me off.

I am volatile, fragile, broken. God is not.

This week I’m thankful…

…for a Omniscient God
I don’t exactly know what’s going on with my body. Neither does my doctor. I don’t know exactly why I’m crying. Neither does Daniel. But God knows.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”
~Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV)

…for for a Sympathetic God
Jesus never dealt with female problems, but He did deal with all the temptations that come along with mine. He was tempted to be selfish, to speak rashly, to be unforgiving. He was tempted to manipulate, to give up, to despair. Yet He withstood all those temptations. And He, as my High Priest, sympathizes with my weakness.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
~Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

…for a Caring God
My temptation can be to worry. To worry about my body, about how my moods are effecting Daniel, about money, about laundry getting done, about the house getting cleaned. Yet I have a God who cares about me, who cares for me, who will clothe me and feed me and house me.

“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
~Matthew 6:28-33 (ESV)

…for a Sovereign God

When circumstances are tough, when I don’t understand, I rest on the knowledge that God is in control. He is the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, the Sovereign Lord of my life. He works all things according to the counsel of His will. And He has already declared the reason for my circumstances, my feelings, my struggles. He has declared that I, who trust in Him, will be to the praise of His glory.

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
~Ephesians 1:11-14 (ESV)

And so I will praise and thank the Sovereign Lord of All, the God who is worthy of all praise and glory. He is working through my difficulties to conform me to His image, that I may be to the praise of His glory.

Amen, do this in me.

Categories Book Reviews

“A History of the World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage

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In the beginning, there was only water. Then man discovered beer.

This is how Tom Standage introduces his topic, tracing the history of the world through the lens of the beverages men drank.

Beer is the beverage of man’s early history. Standage notes how beer almost certainly was discovered rather than invented in the earliest civilization. In Standage’s thinking, beer was a sort of liquid bread–with the added nutritional advantages of Vitamin B12 (from the yeast used to ferment it) and a low level of harmful microorganisms (due to the alcohol content.) Standage traces beer through the ancient Middle East and its majestic empires: Sumer and Egypt.

Wine takes over as the world beverage when Greece rises as a world power. Greece introduced wine to the rest of the world, along with certain patterns of drinking wine. Rome solidified wine’s standing and created the wine snob.

Wine would rule the world for over a millenia–until the tee-totaling Arabs distilled it into spirits. While the Arabian world mostly regarded the spirits as an alchemical ingredient or as a medicine, once imported to Europe, spirits took off as a beverage. Distilled spirits, from a variety of sources, would be the drink of the age of exploration, fueling fleets that colonized far-flung continents. Spirits would also serve a distinct role in the expansion of slavery throughout the world.

The Age of Enlightenment replaced the inebriating spirits with the consciousness-enhancing coffee. Coffee shops became hotbeds for new political, social, philosophical, and scientific thought. Quick on coffee’s heels, tea advanced throughout the world as the British Empire reached its high point in the nineteenth century.

In the twentieth century, a new world power–and a new beverage–would come to dominate the world. America ended its mostly isolationist stance by entering the World Wars–and Coca Cola invaded the globe.

Standage’s A History of the World in 6 Glasses represents one of my favorite sorts of histories–a history that explores how people lived, and which ties social history in with the megolithic historical events like wars. Standage artfully weaves together the daily lives of people and the machinations of nations–all on the threads of six different global beverages.

I don’t know that this is a book that will appeal to everyone–but for those who like this sort of book, this is definitely worth reading. I was impressed with how Standage related information in an interesting yet fair way (for instance, he addresses the use of wine in Christian communion quite nicely). He does a good job of pulling in a variety of disciplines as he writes, talking about the making of each beverage, the various benefits of each (like the aforementioned Vitamin B12 in early beer), the ways in which the beverage was consumed, and the giant world events that led to or resulted from the preparation and trade of the various beverages. I definitely recommend this book (to those who like this sort of thing :-P).

Rating:4 Stars
Category:History
Synopsis:Standage tells the history of the world–through the lens of six beverages that dominated the world stage during different ages.
Recommendation: If you like this sort of book, you’ll like this book. It is an excellent representation of a topical history.

Categories My Beloved Daniel

Did I just… !?!

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This is the next installment in a rather long series about how Daniel and I met–and have become engaged. Click on the “Our Story” tag for context.

Having turned in way too late the night before, I overslept Wednesday morning, waking up less than an hour before my flight out of Philadelphia was scheduled to leave.

I hastily threw my belongings into my bags, hoping against all hope that the airlines wouldn’t complain that I was now carrying THREE carry-ons. Then I rushed downstairs to the hotel lobby, hoping against all hope that I’d have a way to make it to the airport, since I’d already missed the scheduled shuttle.

Hoping against all hope, my hopes were met.

The shuttle had just returned and the driver coming up the walk turned right around to take me back. I whipped through security with no difficulties (except the obligatory pat-down–of course!) and got onto the plane with my three carry-ons.

At last, I was buckled in and had a chance to process.

I was getting married.

We’d decided so the night before.

It was for real.

Really.

I rehashed the events of the night in my mind and ended with a terrible thought.

Oh my goodness! Did I just…

I’d told Daniel that it was better to marry than to burn.

Did I just…

I don’t think I did… I think I… But maybe I did…

I don’t know.

Did I just coerce Daniel into marrying me?

The flight was en route, I’d be in the air or on tight connections for the next several hours. I couldn’t answer the burning question.

I was excited, thrilled to be marrying Daniel–I was terrified that I was rushing him, coercing him into doing something against his will.

I had no way of contacting him, of reassuring myself. I had no opportunity to call. I couldn’t ask my questions in between flights via text. How can one ask the questions that were racing through my mind? Surely they couldn’t fit in 160 characters.

My text was simple. “Can we talk sometime before you have class tonight?”

He agreed. He would call me between work and class, when I should be on the road heading back to Columbus from Kansas City.

I continued my travels, brooding into my notebook, alternately dreaming of marrying him and hyperventilating that he might have changed his mind–might not have actually had that in mind until I’d pushed him.

His sister-in-law met me at the airport. I chatted with his nephew and nieces, gave them the stickers I’d picked up for them at the Expo. E loaned me his water bottle for my drive home–I’d be able to return it at the family Thanksgiving only a couple of months later. My belly continued to churn.

Did I just… !?!

At last, Daniel called. He didn’t have much time between work and class. Furthermore, he still had some homework to work on, what with being up so late with me the night before.

I poured out my concerns. Had I forced his hand? Had I rushed him? Did he really want to marry me?

He assured me I had not.

I had not.

He really wanted to marry me.

We were getting married in just 5 more months.

Categories Everyday Life

Miscellany

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Remember my new nightstand?

Apparently it is now home to Daniel’s glasses.

Daniel's glasses on Nightstand

I don’t really mind. If I did, I’d transfer them back onto his own nightstand.

Still, it’s funny how that happens.

This morning, I was telling Daniel that I was excited–and I came up with a new simile to describe my excitement: “Like a sixteen-year-old getting her period for the first time.”

Daniel suggested that I post said simile on Facebook.

It managed to gross out one of our least gross-out-able friends.

Does that gross you out, or does it convey (as I intended) the excitement and relief of the arrival of a long-anticipated event?

Our wedding photos are now up so that we can order professional prints–and the electronic copies (which we bought rights for) should be arriving any day.

Which means I should soon have wedding photos to share with you. (For some strange reason, I didn’t take any pictures of my own that day :-P)

For now, I’ll give you a teaser from among the stuff our photographer posted on Facebook.

Sunset Photo

Categories My Beloved Daniel

Erratum: We Should Get Married

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In the installment of “Our Story” entitled We Should Get Married“, the Author miswrote several pertinent details due to a faulty memory.

Her husband was so kind as to have corrected her remembrance of the story, leading her to publish the following retraction:

I wrote of Daniel suggesting that we should stop talking about getting married–and then of myself going on a tangent to tell Daniel how I’d asked God if I would marry him. After hearing what God had told me (“I know, and when I want you to know, I’ll tell Daniel”), Daniel responded, “I think I do know.”

Here, I went wrong in my storytelling.

Daniel’s response was followed by his telling me that he should/would pray about it himself a little more.

It was the next evening, a Tuesday night, when the discussion turned to possible days we could get married before the next summer–and when we ultimately decided we would get married.

The author is sorry for having misrepresented the story of her engagement and hopes that no one has been harmed by her carelessness with the historic record.

:-)

Categories What's on Your Nightstand?

Nightstand (April 2013)

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At long last (after 4 months), I have a library card AND a nightstand! My new nightstand, with a basket for books on the bottom shelf, arrived at the end of March. I got my card to the Wichita Public Libraries and checked out my first twelve books from that glorious institution on the fifth of this month. I am back in the reading business!

My Nightstand

My New Nightstand

This month, I read:

  • Acts of the Apostles by Luke
    I’m really enjoying my new Bible reading plan, which has me reading one book at a time first from the Old Testament and then from the New Testament. This last month, I spent time in Acts, which has been pretty powerful. I love seeing the Holy Spirit working through the apostles advancing the gospel despite harsh opposition.
  • Compost by Ken Thompson
    Did you know that it’s almost impossible for a home compost pile to reach the 135-165 degrees most composting resources recommend? Yep. That’s right, according to this informative little book. Thompson takes a look at what of modern composting advice actually realistic for a home composter and gives information and how-tos to make a successful home compost heap. I’m pretty excited to finally have my own compost pile at last–and Thompson’s book gave me the freedom from guilt over not wanting to turn it. Hooray!
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
    Daniel owns the Hunger Games Trilogy and enjoyed them when he read them sometime last year. I enjoyed this book, but spent a great deal of time once it was done wondering why all the participants in the games chose to play along. Why didn’t they choose to all band together and NOT kill one another? Why didn’t they just say, “If we’re all going to die, why not die honorably?” Would that not have been the ultimate defiance? Would that not have bolstered the spirits of those watching? Why not resist by refusing to kill? Anyhow, this turned out to be not only an entertaining, but a thought-provoking read.
  • The Layman’s Bible Commentary: Acts of the Apostles by Albert C. Winn
    To be honest, I didn’t read the entirety of this little volume. I read maybe five or six chapters worth in conjunction with my Bible reading plan’s reading of Acts. I’m not a huge fan of commentaries, but every so often, it’s nice to pick one up and see what new insights one can glean. In this case, the commentary is straightforward, giving a bit of historical context but primarily restating and clarifying the text itself. The commentator doesn’t always draw applications from the Scripture–except when it comes to the Jewish/Gentile question, where the author sees clear parallels with the racial prejudice and discrimination of the 1950s (the commentary was published in 1960). For someone new to Scripture, this Layman’s Bible Commentary would likely be a useful companion. For a believer with more Bible study under their belt, this is less likely to be helpful.
  • Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings
    Spurned by her Mexican family and friend for becoming a Christian, the widowed Maria moves with her widowed mother-in-law back to Texas, where the two hope to make a living on the family farm. Unfortunately, on returning to the farm, they discover that their renters have skedaddled, leaving $168 of unpaid taxes–taxes Maria and Louise must pay within just a few months or they’ll lose the farm. Does this story sound familiar? It should. This was a fun twist on the story of Ruth and Naomi–one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Like most Christian romances, it wasn’t particularly weighty–but sometimes a nice light read is exactly what the doctor orders. This one hit the spot.

Books in Progress

Books in Progress

Currently in progress:

  • Ortho Books’ Complete guide to vegetables, fruits & herbs
  • The Contraception Guidebook: Options, Risks, and Answers for Christian Couples by William Cutrer
  • Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes
  • A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
  • Let’s Play Doctor: the Instant Guide to Walking, Talking, and Probing like a Real M.D. by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg
  • Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two by Beth Hensperger
  • Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise by Pam Young and Peggy Jones
  • Writing Thank You Notes: Finding the Perfect Words by Gabrielle Goodwin

Up next

Up next…

Don’t forget to drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading this month!

What's on Your Nightstand?

Categories Following Christ

The Discipline of the Gospel

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On our flight home from our honeymoon, I started reading Barbara Hughes’ The Disciplines of a Godly Woman. The first discipline Hughes discusses is the discipline of the gospel.

It’s an interesting idea–that the gospel can be a discipline, that we can discipline ourselves to live out of the gospel.

But more than an interesting idea, it’s a frustrating idea.

How can I discipline myself in the gospel? It’s not like reading the Bible or going to church. It’s not something I can schedule into my day or week.

Or can I?

I tried an experiment. I set a reminder on my phone.

“Remember the Gospel,” it says.

The task pops up one hour after I last marked it complete, so about every hour during my waking hours, I am reminded of the gospel.

But is this effective?

Does this really help me remember the gospel? Does it help me remember more than just the word “Gospel” but the reality that the word represents?

I gave myself limits.

I couldn’t clear the reminder, couldn’t say I’d completed the task, until I’d actually thought about the gospel–about the reality of the gospel.

It’s become almost a game, thinking of new aspects of the gospel to contemplate.

One hour, I recite a verse about the gospel.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (I Timothy 1:15 ESV)

Another hour, I reflect on what the gospel accomplished.

Redemption. Adoption. Justification.

Yet another hour, I try to paraphrase the gospel as I might share it with an unbeliever.

We are all sinners, deserving God’s wrath and incapable of paying our sin-debt. But God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus, who bore God’s wrath in our place, dying on a cross so we wouldn’t have to die for our sins. Now He offers salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus’ name.

These are just scratching the surface of the gospel.

I ask myself what the gospel displays about God’s character.

Holiness. Grace. Justice. Love. Sovereignty over death.

I ask myself what the practical implications of the gospel are to my work life.

Forgiven, I must forgive. Loved despite my filthiness, I must love my clients despite their occasional crassness. Having received mercy, I must extend mercy.

As I review the ways I have been reminding myself of the gospel, I think of some more to use in the upcoming hours.

What are some stories in Scripture that exhibit the gospel? Who can I pray for who needs the gospel? What are wrong views of the gospel and what is the truth that exposes them? In what ways should the gospel influence my thoughts, my words, my actions, my writing?

Hour by hour, I discipline myself in the gospel.

How do you discipline yourself in the gospel?

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Home and Garden

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Thankful Thursday bannerDaniel wanted to know if I wanted to plant a garden this year. He mentioned that he had some interest in raised beds. I jumped on his suggestion.

A raised bed garden is pretty much my dream garden.

Once Daniel heard this, he gave me my instructions: Figure out what I wanted, what I wanted to plant, what we needed to do. I dutifully entered a task on my to-do list “Figure out garden”.

He asked me every couple of days whether I’d thought about it, researched it, decided what I wanted. I confessed again and again that I hadn’t. I was too busy at work, too busy at home. I had my name change to take care of, taxes to do, a home to keep in order. I didn’t have time to think about it.

Until a couple of weeks ago.

This week I’m thankful…

…for an impromptu garden day
Once I’d figured out my plan for the garden, I confessed to Daniel that I kinda wanted to get started right away (knowing that to start already was rather an impulsive decision). Daniel’s response was perfect, though: “Why don’t you then?” I grabbed my hedge clippers, a rake, and a spade and started preparing the back yard. I raked out old leaves, ripped up weeds, trimmed back errant trees, set the boundaries for my new compost pile, and began removing sod for the place where my new raised bed vegetable garden would sit.

…for cozy gardening chats
My mentor happens to be a gardener herself, and we had a wonderful time discussing gardening techniques and what my plans were for our backyard. Bev gave a recommendation for how to get great compost in town–and offered me the use of her family’s pickup for hauling it.

…for help with concrete blocks
Daniel and I got our first set of blocks (for building the raised bed enclosure) with his car, loading it down with a couple of dozen. We hadn’t really prepared in advance that time–and ended up scratching up our hands while rearranging the blocks and leaving concrete dust all over Daniel’s car. When I went back for a second (smaller) load, I was more prepared with work gloves–but I ended up barely needing them, since a kind gentleman saw me loading the first block into my trunk and jumped in to help me load the rest.

…for new stuff for our home
We received quite a few gift cards for our wedding–and now that we’re settled in somewhat, I’ve got a better handle on what things we still need. So we’ve been making our way through the cards, purchasing nightstands (woohoo!), shower curtains and rod, miscellaneous kitchen utensils, and whatnot. We were making do just fine before, but it’s awfully nice to have those extra nice touches.

…for help around the home
When we were reading Rocking the Roles in premarital counseling, Daniel underlined something about how the servant-leader is conscious of his wife’s workload and does what is necessary to keep her physical and mental stress at a healthy level. Daniel has taken that seriously, being conscious of my stress level and asking what he can do to help out. While I haven’t been willing to surrender laundry or cooking to him on a regular basis (I can’t have him interrupting my routines, after all), I have very much appreciated his help with dishes. Just yesterday, he told me that maybe I shouldn’t do dishes on my lunch break. That way, he said, the dishes in the drainer would be dry when he comes home from work so he can empty it and do dishes then–and I would have some time to myself on my lunch break.

…for another room clean
I went into stove-jobbing mode last night and whipped my way through the room we intend to use as a spare room. When I entered the room, it was haphazardly packed with (a mix of empty and full) boxes, camping gear, clothing, books, and trash. When I left, it contained two made up twin beds, a wall full of (mostly sorted) books, and an (almost) clean floor. There are still a couple of boxes of miscellaneous junk that need to be sorted through, but the room is getting close to being habitable.

I’ve dreamed about owning a home for years. A year ago, I was visiting with a banker for preapproval of a home mortgage. Little did I know that only a year later, I’d be settling into my new home, which I own with my husband. Little did I know that I’d be preparing a garden with my husband.

God has been very gracious in giving me so many of my heart’s desires (both big and small.)

Like the woman in Spurgeon’s story, I find myself crying again and again…

“What? All this, and Christ beside?”

Thank You, Thank You, Lord.

Categories Recap

Recap (4/13/2013)

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Articles on the Gosnell trials:

If you haven’t read or heard about the abortionist (obstetrician/murderer) Kermit Gosnell, it’s unfortunate, but not surprising. The mainstream media has been surprisingly silent in their (lack of) coverage of the mass murderer currently on trial in Pennsylvania. Here are some articles I’ve read over the past few weeks that give a brief review of what’s going on.

Quotes from this week’s readings:

  • On distracted driving:

    A study by the Erie Insurance company of the roughly 6,500 fatal accidents that occurred in 2010 and 2011 which involved distracted driving found that it wasn’t cell phones at texting that were mostly to blame, but simple daydreaming.

    I can definitely identify with this. Cell phones and texting are certainly dangers for me while driving, but simply having my mind wander is just as (if not more) dangerous.

  • Charles Darwin on losing attention for art:

    “My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts, but why this should have caused the atrophy of that part of the brain alone, on which the higher tastes depend, I cannot conceive….if I had to live my life again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied would thus have been kept active through use.”

    I believe I may have to do this.

Books added to my TBR list:

  • Damascus Countdown by Joel Rosenburg (reviewed by Monica at Lover of Books)
    This book sounds like a Christian version of one of my favorite types of movies–action movies where the protagonist (spy, soldier, or superhero) is on a countdown to save the free world from some clear threat. I don’t read a lot of books like that, but maybe I should start. In fact, I intend to start. With this. Hopefully soon.

  • The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson (reviewed by Jennifer at 5M4B)
    I haven’t watched “Duck Dynasty”. I still want to read this book. Just like I haven’t watched 27 Kids and Counting (or whatever the Duggar family show is) but have read the Duggars’ books. Call it morbid curiosity if you will, but I enjoy reading (or at least skimming) books spun off of reality tv shows. Besides, the Wichita Public Library has it–why NOT read it?

  • The Longevity Project by Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin (read about in a US News article)
    Basically, I love reading theories about what makes some people live longer. This book sounds like it might be relatively scientific–and might have some rather surprising results (could outlook have a greater impact on longevity than, say, eating?)

  • Nowhere but Home by Liza Palmer (reviewed by Jennifer of 5M4B)
    She’s a chef who cooks last meals for prisoners on death row. I’m sold.