Religious Freedom

Sometimes I think I would have been a much better Old Testament Jew than New Testament Gentile Christ follower. I know that may sound bizarre, but as I read through the Bible and see the straightforward rules and regulations put on the people in Levitcus, despite the cumbersome ritual of it all, it seems easier. You know when you're on or off course.

Religion is easier than relationship, but relationship is more fulfilling and rewarding. Relationship meets our needs where religion can't. I often struggle in my relationship with God because it requires me to be present. Religion or ritual is easier on days when I just want to go through the motions. Christ offered us so much more than a "Get out of Hell" free card when he died on the cross.

Navigating through life to find Christ-centered balance isn't always straightforward it takes trust, faith, wisdom, and humility. Meeting the letter of the law is mundane and burdensome, but takes little emotional energy. At the end of it all I'd much rather put the work into a relationship and accept the gift of Christ than constantly be on point, sure it's scary, but rewarding with an eternal connection.

What Really Matters - I DO!

This weekend I did a wedding and was reminded what really matters. THe couple approached me needing to do a ceremony stat, as the groom's grandmother was ill. We planned a date with only weeks to do the wedding.

I stood out in our church's courtyard the day of the event with 20 of the bride and groom's friends and family and thought this is what its all about. The bride found a dress and shoes, we asked a florist friend to make a bouquet for $20 and she brought unity sand. The couple's friend plugged in a playlist from a laptop and we were a go. My dad performed the ceremony.

It was beautiful, simple and about more than a price tag and of the moment decor. It was about the couple, their love and new life together. Pure wedding moment that was a breath of fresh air.

Don't get me wrong, I love planning perfect moments for couples, but sometimes the details take precidence to the truly important part - a commitment for life.

Party Palooza

This year I get to experience what happens when I have a baby in the same month as my husband and stepdaughter's birth month. Christmas came and went but my pace stayed holiday speed. New Year's Day brought my husband's 50th birthday. His actual birthday included a few friends and family over with an homage to his mother. You see before my mother-in-law passed away 2 years ago, Kevin's birthdays were spent watching sports at her house with Bloody Mary's, stuffed jalapenos and sometimes crab legs. So the past two years we've made some of Kevin's favorite, hot, foods and had Bloody Mary's.

The following weekend was his party. I found a great collage of pictures in the shape of 50 on Pinterest, originally from MarthaStewart.com - and here's my rendition.


We had a great celebration! I did a slideshow and asked people to answer questions on butcher paper on the wall like - what's your favorite thing about Kevin? One Memory of Kevin? A Word to Describe him. After the party I typed up what was said so he could keep it.

The next weekend was Katie's birthday. I said no party but actually ended up doing more. We went to Fresno for dinner at CPK, then the next day had cake and ice cream at the house.

I had a weekend off, and now I am getting ready for Caleb's first birthday! We are doing the "First Year Happens in a Flash" theme. I will definitely post pics of the party to share afterwards.

Crazy month! Definitely Party Palooza!

Resolutions

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. It's not that I don't believe in bettering oneself, it's just that I believe the time to make a change is when you know there is a problem.  That moment can come January 1st or first thing in the morning, but it can also come at 2 o'clock on any random Tuesday.  making a change is a big deal, it's a commitment and it comes in response to a life of one always seeking to be the best person possible.

Change involves a plan and too often people just jump on the January bandwagon of new path and it's not too long until they've been booted off by some bump in the road.  Seeing a problem only gets the ball rolling.  Routing your journey is essential in road trips and in life.  Knowing yourself and figuring out what works for you gives you a better shot at success.

Change involves accountability and that  involves community. Too often we run out on our own in hot pursuit of the preverbal carrot missing the mark because we didn't involve our support network.  We were made for relationships and the teen years alone demonstrate how the right or wrong people can motivate our choices. 

So maybe that ball dropped and as you said, "Happy New Year," you realized you needed something to change, or maybe you are like me and you had a good night and just continued the course.

Savor the Moments

Today, I walked into the hospital to see my grandma and teared up, not because I was sad about my grandma, but because I was caught in an unexpected memory. A year ago I was two months from giving birth. Kevin and I were signed up for birthing classes. We arrived at night with Christmas lights up, a beautiful wreath, and carolers singing out front. That same wreath looked me in the face tonight and I remembered it all, awaiting my sweet boy! Life is so precious and passes so quickly even when you make special attention to savor every moment! I live in horror of Caleb's 18th birthday and feeling like it was just yesterday. It's amazing what one wreath can do.

What does Revelation 3:16 really mean?

Recently, I had an interesting lesson from my dad, our church pastor and Bible scholar, about a passage in scripture that many have heard and many could recite the lesson that has been preached about this passage from pulpits across the nation. The funny thing was the lesson I've been taught, after chatting with my dad, seems to miss the mark. You see its the letter to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3. The hallmark verse is verse sixteen which says, "So, because you are lukewarm - neighter hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

The lesson on this often heard is that God would prefer you be on fire for him or not be into him at all instead of being "lukewarm." That God is more pleased with you not picking him than strattling the fence in the middle, but a map of the area of Laodicea and knowledge of the area's natural resources presents a very different message.

You see the city just above Laodicea, Hierapolis, is known for its hot springs and the area just below Laodicea, Colosse, is known for its cold water. The hot water was relaxing and the cold water was refreshing, but by the time they made it to Laodicea they were lukewarm, offering neither relaxation or refreshment. In fact, the travel down from Hierapolis amongst an array of earthen minerals left the water with a unsavory smell and taste. This geographical knowledge would lend me to draw the conclusion that God is instead saying its better to be useful to the Kingdom and serve a purpose than to be useless, lukewarm and stinky.

We all know that context guides toward meaning and in this case we see that truth emerge amongst the theories. Its important to seek out the contextual and background information in order to fully get the point. If you ask me, the geographical explanation sounds more like the God I know, than the one preached from pastoral perches everywhere.

Dinner at the Guy Home

So I am pretty excited about this, but over the last 6 weeks I have been planning meals to help with grocery shopping and money saving and have not duplicated a meal in the entire time!!! I have had so much fun with favorite recipes, and new recipe finds. It seemed to come at a good time as I reviewed all of my recipes as part of a gift I made for my sister, Catie, on her birthday this year. I created a book that included my favorite recipes and so it got those tastebud memories going. I also started some homemade experimenting. Now, don't think I'm having some Julie/Julia moment or anything, but its a sense of accomplishment to have things in Ball jars in your fridge that you made from scratch. I now make homemade tomato sauce, salsa (not new), pesto, applesauce, & babyfood. I thought I would share some pics of some of my favorites with you. Check them out.


This one is Baked Tortellini with homemade tomato sauce, the recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis and can be found on the Food Network website.


This was a recipe I got from my grandma. Its panko breaded chicken tenders. I cut up boneless, skinless chicken breasts then remember FEB (February) Flour, Egg, Bread crumbs (in this case Panko) before frying in oil. Yum with some honey mustard.


This recipe was a new one but one I loved. Its from the show, Five Ingredient Fix. Made the Grown-Up Farmhouse Grilled Cheese with Wedge Salad with homemade ranch, and homemade sweet potato fries.


This shows my homemade pesto, yum, yum!


I forgot to "click" the bowl before eating it all. So I've only got a picture of the recipe which I got from Bonappetit Magazine. This is my new favorite! I love it and can't get enough.