“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”
“Discipline is remembering what you want.”
“Many of life's circumstances are created by three basic choices: the disciplines you choose to keep, the people you choose to be with; and, the laws you choose to obey”
I took some sort of self assessment a few years ago and scored the highest on discipline and compassion. These days...I'm not quite sure were this once ever present discipline went. I am sure it is hiding somewhere, but I'm not sure where.
I hate fighting this daily battle within myself: Doing Enough vs. Not Doing Enough
How do you know?
Lately, I don't feel as if I am doing 'enough.' But I know I am doing a lot. Maybe I am just not doing the right things...or the things I want to be doing; building relationships, establishing roots, growing in my relationship with Jesus, reading his word.
4.16.2010
4.14.2010
to cook
I didn't grow up cooking, but oh how I love making beautiful and yummy food.
I have been slowly gathering recipes, and I don't want to forget them. So I'm blogging the down... :)
Pineapple Ginger Rice
Ingredients: Pineapple, Brown Rice, Edamame, 1 Tablespoon Ginger, Cilantro
Pineapple Salsa
2 Cups Diced Pineapple, ½ Cup Chopped Cilantro, ¼ Cup Chopped Red Onion, 1 Chopped Serrano Pepper, 1 Lime (juice and zest) More Options: Dash of Dark Rum, Spearmint, Chopped Red Peppers, Chopped Apple
Coconut Mushroom Rice
1 Cup Coconut Milk, 2 Cups White Rice, 1 Splenda, 1 Cup Mushrooms, ½ Cup Crushed Peanuts, Red Chili Pepper Sauce
More Options: Add Chicken
My Favorite Pita
Pita Bread, Regular Hummus, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Basil, Feta
More Options: Add Chicken
Bruschetta
1 Dozen Roma Tomatoes, Basil, Three Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemon, Balsamic Reduction, Feta, Crostinis
Veggie Delite
Kidney Beans, Sweet Red Onion, Peppers, Feta
Remember: Fridge Life
• Cooked leftovers, four days
• Raw eggs, three to five weeks
• Hard boiled eggs, one week
• Salads, such as egg, macaroni, potato or tuna, three to five days
• Stuffed pork and lamb chops or chicken breasts, one day
• Ground beef/chicken/turkey/veal, one to two days
• Stew meats, one to two days
• Ham, three to seven days
• Hot dogs, one week if opened, two weeks if unopened
• Bacon, seven days
• Steaks/roasts, three to five days
• Poultry, one to two days
• Fresh fish/shellfish, one to two days
I have been slowly gathering recipes, and I don't want to forget them. So I'm blogging the down... :)
Pineapple Ginger Rice
Ingredients: Pineapple, Brown Rice, Edamame, 1 Tablespoon Ginger, Cilantro
Pineapple Salsa
2 Cups Diced Pineapple, ½ Cup Chopped Cilantro, ¼ Cup Chopped Red Onion, 1 Chopped Serrano Pepper, 1 Lime (juice and zest) More Options: Dash of Dark Rum, Spearmint, Chopped Red Peppers, Chopped Apple
Coconut Mushroom Rice
1 Cup Coconut Milk, 2 Cups White Rice, 1 Splenda, 1 Cup Mushrooms, ½ Cup Crushed Peanuts, Red Chili Pepper Sauce
More Options: Add Chicken
My Favorite Pita
Pita Bread, Regular Hummus, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Basil, Feta
More Options: Add Chicken
Bruschetta
1 Dozen Roma Tomatoes, Basil, Three Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Olive Oil, Lemon, Balsamic Reduction, Feta, Crostinis
Veggie Delite
Kidney Beans, Sweet Red Onion, Peppers, Feta
Remember: Fridge Life
• Cooked leftovers, four days
• Raw eggs, three to five weeks
• Hard boiled eggs, one week
• Salads, such as egg, macaroni, potato or tuna, three to five days
• Stuffed pork and lamb chops or chicken breasts, one day
• Ground beef/chicken/turkey/veal, one to two days
• Stew meats, one to two days
• Ham, three to seven days
• Hot dogs, one week if opened, two weeks if unopened
• Bacon, seven days
• Steaks/roasts, three to five days
• Poultry, one to two days
• Fresh fish/shellfish, one to two days
3.26.2010
this is why : Forgiveness and Freedom
When I take a look around, I see so much wrong with Christianity. People use and abuse it. Its hard to miss the greed, hate, pain, and judgment that are all associated with what being a Christian looks like.
But according to Galatians, there is Freedom in Christ. All of those things associated with Christians come from our fallen selves, not Christ. Christ offers Grace. And that is His message. None of us is worthy and none of us will ever be able to uphold the law and do what is right 100 percent of the time. We can't even try....because in that, we lose the value of Christ. If we could gain merit my obedience, Christ died for nothing.
'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.'
In this verse Paul is encouraging us to not try to gain righteousness or salvation by the Law. The yoke of Slavery is referring to the yoke of the Law. Paul even says that if we do, Christ will be of no value to us at all. 'You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.' Galatians 5
This righteousness is not something that will be obtained perfectly now, on earth. But Christ calls us righteous...and is making us righteous. One day we will be, but not now.
And isn't this so comforting? We don't have to worry about not being perfect now and we don't have to expect others to be perfect. When we wrong one another, we can forgive because we know that He has forgiven us.
But according to Galatians, there is Freedom in Christ. All of those things associated with Christians come from our fallen selves, not Christ. Christ offers Grace. And that is His message. None of us is worthy and none of us will ever be able to uphold the law and do what is right 100 percent of the time. We can't even try....because in that, we lose the value of Christ. If we could gain merit my obedience, Christ died for nothing.
'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.'
In this verse Paul is encouraging us to not try to gain righteousness or salvation by the Law. The yoke of Slavery is referring to the yoke of the Law. Paul even says that if we do, Christ will be of no value to us at all. 'You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.' Galatians 5
This righteousness is not something that will be obtained perfectly now, on earth. But Christ calls us righteous...and is making us righteous. One day we will be, but not now.
And isn't this so comforting? We don't have to worry about not being perfect now and we don't have to expect others to be perfect. When we wrong one another, we can forgive because we know that He has forgiven us.
things, matters, and affairs
My most recent pondering: Christian Paraphernalia.
Why does everything a Christian owns need to be religiously labeled?Do we know what it means to be a Christian anymore? How did we arrive at this current understanding of what it means to be a Christian?
I think there are two main reasons for this influx of Christian Paraphernalia.
For one, I think we have lost sight of Christ.
We have exchanged discipleship for something much cheaper. There is a cost to discipleship. It is the one thing that serves as the avenue for complete transformation and the only way to truly become a follower of Christ; A Christian.
Second, we have been deceived by culture. We have been deceived by ourselves.
We have fallen into the belief that Jesus was a middle-class, blond hair and blue-eyed man, who wanted everyone to have the best life possible, no matter the cost to others.
What about this….
‘”We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
“He has shown you, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
“Remember the prisoners…and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves are the body.”
How do these verses connect with our lives? Do they connect? Are they foreign to our actions?
I believe that we are not being Christians in any true sense of the word. Claiming that your a Christian has come to mean that you carry a faith in who Jesus was…instead of who he is.
There is no action needed and no joint effort required to work out your faith with the God who died to be in relationship with you.
The process of becoming, sanctification, is being exchanged for something immediate and simple, making a mockery of Jesus’ life and death.
And I think this has put us in an interesting predicament. Instead of being seen as Christians in our culture (the light unto the world), the division between those who are and those who are not disciples is increasingly becoming harder and harder to distinguish.
And this is why I think we need Things, Matters, and Affairs.
We now need to be labeled. We now need something to reflect who we are instead of actually being that thing which we think we are.
and so…
we end up with shirts that express our beliefs (instead of our actions)
we end up with our concerts to be ‘christian concerts (instead of being a christian at a concert)
we end up needing christian life groups (instead of living life with society as a christian as a way of life) we now must be separated from culture to be christians…vs. living in this culture as a christian
we end up with empty voicemail recordings that express our beliefs (instead of our shared words)
we end up with a million books on our shelves about how to be a Christian (instead of reading the one book and following the one true teacher)
we end up with jewelry that expresses our beliefs (instead of our simplicity)
we end up sending money to someone we have never met to live out the life we are called out to live for us (instead of individually living out the Christian life)
we end up eating mints with scripture to reflect that we are followers (instead of being outwardly and publicly thankful for our daily bread)
and lastly, i think it is important to have things that connect you to truth, tangible things. social bonds are inevitible. this is good. But, there must be something to be said about this. it just doesn’t feel right to me. im not sure exactly where, but there is a disconnect.
Why does everything a Christian owns need to be religiously labeled?Do we know what it means to be a Christian anymore? How did we arrive at this current understanding of what it means to be a Christian?
I think there are two main reasons for this influx of Christian Paraphernalia.
For one, I think we have lost sight of Christ.
We have exchanged discipleship for something much cheaper. There is a cost to discipleship. It is the one thing that serves as the avenue for complete transformation and the only way to truly become a follower of Christ; A Christian.
Second, we have been deceived by culture. We have been deceived by ourselves.
We have fallen into the belief that Jesus was a middle-class, blond hair and blue-eyed man, who wanted everyone to have the best life possible, no matter the cost to others.
What about this….
‘”We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
“He has shown you, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
“Remember the prisoners…and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves are the body.”
How do these verses connect with our lives? Do they connect? Are they foreign to our actions?
I believe that we are not being Christians in any true sense of the word. Claiming that your a Christian has come to mean that you carry a faith in who Jesus was…instead of who he is.
There is no action needed and no joint effort required to work out your faith with the God who died to be in relationship with you.
The process of becoming, sanctification, is being exchanged for something immediate and simple, making a mockery of Jesus’ life and death.
And I think this has put us in an interesting predicament. Instead of being seen as Christians in our culture (the light unto the world), the division between those who are and those who are not disciples is increasingly becoming harder and harder to distinguish.
And this is why I think we need Things, Matters, and Affairs.
We now need to be labeled. We now need something to reflect who we are instead of actually being that thing which we think we are.
and so…
we end up with shirts that express our beliefs (instead of our actions)
we end up with our concerts to be ‘christian concerts (instead of being a christian at a concert)
we end up needing christian life groups (instead of living life with society as a christian as a way of life) we now must be separated from culture to be christians…vs. living in this culture as a christian
we end up with empty voicemail recordings that express our beliefs (instead of our shared words)
we end up with a million books on our shelves about how to be a Christian (instead of reading the one book and following the one true teacher)
we end up with jewelry that expresses our beliefs (instead of our simplicity)
we end up sending money to someone we have never met to live out the life we are called out to live for us (instead of individually living out the Christian life)
we end up eating mints with scripture to reflect that we are followers (instead of being outwardly and publicly thankful for our daily bread)
and lastly, i think it is important to have things that connect you to truth, tangible things. social bonds are inevitible. this is good. But, there must be something to be said about this. it just doesn’t feel right to me. im not sure exactly where, but there is a disconnect.
the Gospel is not that we have to climb up...but that He came down
Yesterday my Pastor expressed the truth of the Gospel that this generation is missing...that Christ came down for us!
Jesus didn't come here to make a religion, he demolished the religion that he saw of his day (the pharisees) and He takes its place. He is our sacrifice, he is our Redeemer, our Salvation, our only hope.
Praise God for this Gracious Truth : )
Jesus didn't come here to make a religion, he demolished the religion that he saw of his day (the pharisees) and He takes its place. He is our sacrifice, he is our Redeemer, our Salvation, our only hope.
Praise God for this Gracious Truth : )
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