Almond-Blueberry Cookies

Due to the convincing of some small group guys I joined Twitter this past fall semester. At first I did not understand the purpose of “following”, “followers” and “tweets.”. Yet, within a month I’ve fallen in love. I catch up on the rants of small group guys on sports or Scripture we’ve been reading. I follow my favorite artists only to find out they will be in Lexington on a night I have class. I read follow blogger posts. More importantly, I follow Food Network Healthy Eats, Whole Foods, & Aarti from Aarti Party to discover delicious recipes.

Summer time means blueberries and apparently blueberries can go into cookies. Thank you to a discover on twitter! I discovered a roasting of almonds is well worth the ten minute wait and fills the kitchen with a nutty aroma. The batter sits in the fridge for 30 minutes while I prepared a Costa Rican dish for dinner. Then 15 minutes in the oven comes out some beautiful cookies and quite tasty too!

Just head on over and look the recipe up by Giada… No regrets!

 

Waiting in Saturday

There are often times that I continue to mull over the uncertainties of life and not totally release them.  There are uncertainties about future after graduate school, paying for school books and this sense of loneliness.  I try to release these things to God and it has been crazy on how He provides and planting future desires in my mind.  He is guiding me in directions and I am trying to follow.  This sense of loneliness I kept.  I was not fully aware of this until last week.

I was praying and I saw myself at the foot of the cross.  I put these jewels down only to pick them up again.  I held these precious jewels, grasping them tightly and started kissing them.  I heard a man behind me. I looked and it was Jesus resurrected.  He said I was free, to let go and go with Him.  I just stared at him and turned around and kept kissing the jewels I did not want to let go of.

Often times, I find that as Christians, we wait in the Saturday.  After Peter and “the other disciple” left the empty tomb on the Sunday, they did not realize that Christ has risen.  They left only to go to their house and lock the door in fear of the Jews.  We do this so often in our lives.  We live in fear of others and of the unknown.  We live in this agony that Jesus’ plan or what He has told us through Scripture will not happen.  We wait in the Saturday holding onto the preciousness of what we are in fear of letting go.  At least I hold on to what the world says is good and believing this to be true.

I lived in agony of what I needed to let go of.  This morning after mulling this over and seeing the process of this unfold slowly, I finally walked away from those jewels and walked off with Jesus.  Is it difficult?  Of course.  I struggled with letting go for years and now it was just on the forefront of my mind and I needed to do it.  Will I continue to have to let go of what I just let go of?  Yes, I was reminded of that through texting a wise friend last night.  There are times we go back to something that we deem as good or lies that the world tells us.  Letting go and freedom is a process.  As I walked away, my thoughts went back to what happened to the jewels?  I watched as the jewels slowly turned to dirt.  I continued to come back to the fact that things of this world are so temporary.  Everything will turn to dust, so why am I holding on?  Why don’t I live in freedom?  Why do I chose to live in the Saturday?

What day are you living in?

 

Simple Church

Church has always been a part of my life.  I have a ton of relatives that are ordained and it goes back generations.  Personally, I have found the aspect of going to church very frustrating.  I am a bit of a nomad.  I have moved every year for the past 4-5 years.  I have made good friends in the places I have lived, however, church has been… disappointing.

First, I am not a morning person.  Maybe, I should be excited to go to church at 10 am and awkwardly greet the person in the pew next to me as I accidently yawn while trying to introduce myself.  It is slightly embarrassing. Second, how does an introvert like myself fit into this kind of a setting?  I sometimes shut down when there is 3 or more people around me.  I can get pumped for a bit, but it’s exhausting for me.  The push to meet people and build relationships in these settings is quite difficult for me.  Third, churches that have Saturday night evening services are usually mega-churches.  If I do go and introduce myself to someone, I probably will not see them the next week.

I am not saying that “traditional” or “legacy” churches are bad or evil.  I benefitted and continue to benefit from listening to church sermons online.  This has been extremely encouraging in my spiritual growth.  I also understand that most churches have “small groups,” which is also common on a lot of universities (both Christian and secular).  For me, these “small groups” have been more helpful in accountability and meeting people.  Do I still shut down a bit in front of 5-6 other guys sitting in the circle talking about their weeks?  Yes, yes I do.  Ask Randy, Broch, Dan, Mark, Nick or Aaron.  It happens every week.  For us, our “small group” has become our church.

This past semester, I transitioned from partially attending a “legacy” church to getting involved in a “simple” church (sometimes called “organic” or “home” church).  The simple church I am in is a part of a network called Simple Church Alliance.  Josh and I hold it in our apartment on Sunday evenings at 7 (Feel free to come!).  It has its ups and downs.  However, there is something crazy happening when a bunch of believers or “soon-to-be believers” gathering together, eating junk food, worshipping, discussing Scripture and asking tough questions.  This dialogue is something I am so honored just to be a part of and the Holy Spirit certainly moves during these times.  Other churches meet in homes or parks sharing in meals blending together family units to become a part of a larger Body.

I was given the book Small is Big during a leadership meeting back in February.  I just finished it this past month and just embraced the vision that it is about.  The book does not disapprove or fight against traditional churches because there are huge benefits of them.  It just proposes the benefits of how community happens within simple churches.  It points out the deeper need for discipleship.  As home churches gather together, accountability is more intentional.  The longing to multiple and make disciples is on the forefront of people’s mind.  There are no spectators, we are all participants who are furthering the Kingdom.

Furthermore, anything that is done can be replicated by new believers while being encouraged and taught by more mature believers and ultimately the Holy Spirit.  Can a new believer start a home church?  Yes!  Why not?  First, the new believer has a network of friends to reach out to.  Second, the new believer has the Holy Spirit to lead them in reaching out to others.  Isn’t this what happened with the woman at the well when she ran into town telling everyone about Jesus?  Jesus did not stay forever to make sure everything she said was according to the Hebrew law…  Third, the new believer has a connection to another home church, where they can receive discipleship.  Community and discipleship are key components of simple churches.

An important point the book makes is whatever is being done needs to show an example that whoever enters that home church can be replicated.  It tells of a story of a woman going into a homeless area and starting a simple church.  Some of the homeless persons moved into minimum wage jobs, but felt like they could not start a simple church because they did not have the money to afford food/clothing to give away.  They felt at a disadvantage to reach their old friends, so they didn’t.  If what we are doing cannot be replicated by people coming to simple church, then there is a major issue.  I think this is where some churches fall.  People attend church and feel inadequate to be a part of any of the ministries there.  This leads in further discomfort in being able to share their faith because they do not have a Bible degree.  Ultimately producing “Sunday” Christians.

Another benefit I love is that simple churches do not have be held at homes or on Sundays.  What?!  No church on Sundays?!  Yes, that’s right.  We live in a society, where the people we could be reaching out to have to work on the nights and weekends, so why are church services held only on Saturday evenings or Sundays?  Second, some people feel so “unclean” in even going to church or maybe entering a “picture perfect” looking home, so why meet there?  Why not meet where everyone feels comfortable – a coffee shop, a skate park, or an office space at work?  Why not meet at 7 am or pm with a group of runners then meet at Jamba Juice to talk about Jesus?  This is not a radical idea.  It should be normal.

Finally, I hope to see (as this book has mentioned) a network of home churches that represent all cultures.  Churches are the most segregated places ever, we cannot deny this.  If the Church is a house of prayer for all nations, are we representing this?  Do we need to speak in their native language, be sensitive to their culture and reaching out to them with the peace of the Gospel?   We all could benefit from learning how worship looks in a different culture and incorporating it in.  If we are segregated now, then when we get to heaven it is going to be awkward if I never interact with another race.  Let’s bring heaven on earth now.

 

Sounds of India

I told myself when I left Costa Rica that I would never go on the mission field again. Those thoughts were swept away after hearing a missionary speak at the Abbotsford Vineyard and knowing that this is something I am to do. I started to take Punjabi lessons with a friend, Cliff and then I relocated to Georgia.

This past semester as I’ve opened up about going to India, this has only been continually confirmed that it is a direction I should be going.

I had dinner with an Indian couple who founded the organization, Redeem India, who seek to train local Indian pastors in Bible and the local law.

I met a therapist, Wes, who went to India this year and seeking to go full-time. I saw his pictures and loved what I saw.

I met a few people through Simple Church, who are feeling the push to go to India. And across the hall from the Simple Church is another organization called Fishhook International.

A good friend, Aaron has been to India and when we were getting shoes for him last week, the cashier mentioned a man was buying shoes for a wedding he was going to in India.

Finally, last night I went to a East meets West fusion worship night by Aradhna and it was wonderful. I realized I went to their concert in Canada with Katie and Cliff. The memories were wonderful and just overpowered the longing to go.

I got Nico to go to the front with me to take pictures and sit on the blankets. One of the guys commented we were brave souls because there were only 4 kids sitting cross legged in the front.

The sounds of India are in the air.

 

On Being a Man

For the most part, I am comfortable in my own skin knowing the activities and subjects that I like and dislike.  I like to cook, pop culture (it’s just funny to be honest) and competitive reality shows like Survivor.  I also enjoy hiking, camping, swimming and running.  I like to challenge fears that I have such as heights by doing something that may help conquer that.  In the case of heights, I went bungee jumping in Costa Rica… twice.

There are still times that I wrestle with what it is to be a “man.”  In a sense, I think this is something every man wrestles with from time to time.  I could be wrong though.  This really did not come to play for me until I got to Columbia Bible College.  Two years previous I spent time in Europe, but the sense of adventure (hitchhiking in England, riding trains through Europe alone, etc.) outweighed the lack of “manliness” I harbored.

Columbia has “unit” meetings that consisted of 6-8 people of the same gender.  For us, it was my apartment and the one across the hall.  I remember sitting in on one of the first unit meetings and feeling so out of place.  First, why did I move across North America?  Second, these guys are the definition of man, how do I fit into this?

Across the hall, Josh, Riede and Noah.  Josh, the guitar man who could seduce anyone by playing sweet melodies.  Riede, the blunt honest man from Alberta with inappropriate jokes that you could not help but laugh at.  Noah, the rustic wise man who shot guns.  And in my apartment, I roomed with Chris, the man with jokes.  Jeph, the Ontario man who played hockey.  Reuban, the man who always wore white T-shirts and jeans.

By allowing myself to think that these guys were more of a man than I was did more harm than good.  The definition of a man is just what gender you are.  The other stuff is just adjectives.  It is interesting to think the guys’ quirkiness that I started to observe as I was up front about my struggles with this.

Josh owns at least 50 different hats and wears one everyday.

Noah loves cats.

Chris is a gamer.

Summer 2010 (Josh, myself, Noah, Chris)

Riede is a sensitive guy.  (I lack a photo of Reide because of my computer crashing after returning from Costa Rica.  Sorry man.  I still love you)

Jeph was in love with Kelly Clarkson as much as I was, if not more.

Summer 2008 Jeph and I at Reuban’s wedding

Reuban is now married and Amy has gotten him to wear something other than white T-shirts.

Reuban and his daughter Summer 2010

My roommates after this year continued to be the awesomeness of manhood.  In Costa Rica, Chris – the self-proclaimed cowboy:

April 2011

Raul – the Costa Rican native who could do any manual labor and later Dan – the six foot bearded Canadian, who I made sleep on the top bunk.  (I was a jerk).

Myself, Dan and Raul June 2009

My last year in Canada I roomed with Ben, the hockey and zombie movie fanatic.

Ben & I April 2008

And now in Kentucky, Josh the awesome skateboarder.

Myself and Josh April 2012

I have enjoyed friendships with each of these guys and all the men I have become friends with over the years.  This ranges from the mountain man to the comic nerd to the basketball/soccer players.  Each of us having gifts and personalities that are our own.  I just happen to read People magazine when I’m at the grocery store and listen to mostly female singers.  That’s perfectly okay.

Why do I write this?  The past month, I have continued to be encountered by people making comments about my “manhood.”  Some seem surprised that I enjoy camping, which by the way I went camping with my pseudo-brothers three years in a row.  Others commented a “real” man enjoys hunting and fishing, which I do not enjoy and still do not understand why people do.  Someone else commented to me that I was only “half” a man because of my sexual orientation.  These comments are from both men and women.  We feed into the Hollywood definition on what it means to be a part of a certain gender.  Manliness is not defined by any of those things.  I am a man because I have a penis.  That’s it.  It’s time to move beyond the stereotypes and stop projecting them on each other.

 

Cherry Blossom Festival

Yesterday was the first annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Lexington. It was right in front of the court house downtown and filled with booths featuring Japanese activities, food and literature. I believe I saw only one small cherry blossom branch, but that’s ok. The atmosphere was fun.

They had some interesting drinks. I got Josh to try an aloe vera drink and surprisingly he liked it. I had my first aloe drink in Vancouver. Honestly, it tastes pretty soothing and is quite filling. Here’s another drink I’ll try one day.

They had a stage set up with maybe 25 white chairs set in front of it. There were different performers featured throughout the afternoon. We just saw a few songs by this group consisting of two white guys and an Asian playing bluegrass music. Kentucky is what it is…

 

A Year in Music

This year has been quite interesting with getting off medication, moving twice, getting published and finishing my first year of graduate studies.  A year for me is always defined more by what I have been listening to.  I get slight obsessions with certain CD’s for a while and move on to the next.  Here is what this academic year in music looks like…

Running Jams:

Foster the People – Pumped by Kicks (The whole CD is worth running to)

Ellie Goulding – Lights (From the UK, she is awesome!)

Lights – Toes (From Canada, I’ve seen her in concert – 100% brilliant!)

There are MANY more, but these three artists make consistent rotation on the iPod.  Also, Lupe Fiasco… Rap is just so good to get pumped to.

Study Music

For study music, I cannot know the lyrics because I will get nothing done, but I have to have something on.  Here is what I have listened to this past year…

The Civil Wars – Barton Hallow (I have been listening to them for a couple years now.  I saw them in January, absolutely BRILLIANT!)

Jill Andrews – The Mirror (I got her CD off of noisetrade.  If you do not know that website, go there NOW!)

Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks (Brilliant Album all the way through!)

Marketa Irglova – Go Back (She is part of the Swell Season, who also have a ONCE movie and now a Broadway musical.  Her voice is amazing and soothing.  Check out her debut album, Anar)

Worship Music

This year in worship has been an interesting process for me.  There are some songs I have put on repeat to fall asleep to just to calm my mind down.  The power of some lyrics are intense.  Here are a few…

Audrey Assad – Everything is Yours (I have both of her albums.  Both of them just stick to my soul lyrically.  The aspect of letting everything go is powerful to think about.  Releasing something that was not ours in the first place)

Jennifer Knapp – Fall Down (I have mentioned her before and her influence on my life.  I saw in concert in Seattle a couple of years ago.  This is one of the few “Christian” songs that she continues to sing at her concerts now that she is “out”.  Lyrically, it is powerful.  I have a lot of respect for her.)

Rend Collective Experiment – Second Chance (I just started listening to them a month ago.  I absolutely love the rawness in their CD.  I HIGHLY recommend them!)

Dia Frampton – The Broken Ones (She got 2nd place on the 1st season of The Voice.  Is she a Christian?  I do not know.  I have read through the stories of the reason she wrote some of the songs on her debut CD, RED.  I wish more artists spoke about the messiness of life.  This song talks about loving the broken ones… That’s essentially Jesus.)

Other worship artists that I am consistently listening:  Daniel Bashta, All Sons & Daughters, Jesus Culture

 

 

Georgia on my mind

I usually do not take a lot of pictures when I’m at my parents’ house. It could be the familiarity of being there, which results in the lack of picture taking. Despite my lazy efforts, this is what took place…

I went to my dad’s church on Sunday, where he is there part-time because he has a full-time job.

The other day, I saw my old car, the beautiful Toyota Tercel…

My cousin working on my brake pads:

I noticed my parents using one of these to keep the gnats away. My host family in Costa Rica gave me one to use in my bedroom to keep the bugs away. It made me physically sick, then I read the package not to use it in enclosed places. The smell from my parents using it made my stomach upset. Ah, the odd memories.

These were the dogs from the week. Top, my sister’s roommate’s dog, bottom left, my sister’s puppy, bottom right, the family dog.

This is my sister-in-law and nephews. The older one loves to eat cheese and the younger one eats everything, except baby food.

Finally, my sister, her boyfriend and I went to a place in downtown Augusta called the Bee’s Knees. It’s international tapas. I read a review on Urban Spoon that the workers were hipsters and the tapa trend was gone five years ago. It is because of those reasons I loved it all the more!

This was just 3 of the 6 tapas we got. All delicious!

And of course, dessert is always necessary…

We played a guessing game of how much the bill was. I was only off by 27 cents. I was pumped until she came back and said that she forgot the dessert items… Can you guess the cost on this trendy dinner?!

 

A body

I have been meeting with someone from the Simple Church Alliance Network once every few months.  It is just a chance to sit back, discuss spiritual gifts and see what God is speaking to us.  It has been very confirming in the direction that God is leading me and what is happening around me.  

We met last week on Asbury’s campus and talked for a little over an hour.  He talked to me about Christians being the literal body of Christ and we are only just a piece of it.  It is when the pieces are put together that we make the body.  As the body, we move as a people being Christ with every piece having its purpose.  I left to go home and process what had just taken place.  I was overwhelmed with encouragement after an interesting past couple of weeks. 

As I began to process this, I saw these small white blocks coming together to make up the Body.  The movement of the Body was smooth as the pieces worked together.  I watched as one small piece of the Body went to another area to assist the others in their function.  

I texted my friend about what I saw and this was his response:

God can move a person’s function to different places.  Some vessels are designed to be more versatile and to fill various roes, but each person’s reflection of the Father’s heart/Jesus’ face is unique to that individual.  Each person’s gifting and calling are irrevocable and our calling to express Him is specific to us alone, but the FORM of that function may vary at different times and in different places.  This is what is happening as we converse and share the gifts within us.

I noticed that all of the pieces were white, just this image of everyone being clean as snow.  Yet, at times, some pieces would get darker and as a result the rest of the pieces would become dimmer (not necessarily as dark).  I saw a brighter piece move into that area and bring forth the light and truth that should be there.  I just love this passage taken from 1 Corinthians 12:24-26 in The Message:

What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

 

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

This is so important.  If anyone in the Body is hurting, then we all hurt.  The hurting person may have the “most” pain, but it still affects everyone around them.  As we move into each other’s lives and become involved in encouragement and support, the pain can be washed away by the love from other parts of the Body.  

We tend to hold people up to a greater degree than others because of the gifts or even this “coolness” they radiate.  What I love about this picture is that we are all a part of this ONE body, each member just as important.  I am thinking what if I did not have one my fingers, then my ability to type this becomes difficult.  Or what happens, if I did not have something that was “visible” to me… Maybe a bone that I “think” is not as “important”.  I would not be able to function.  

This Body of believers in Christ erases the importance of who is in front speaking, the cool looking worship leaders, the gifted writers, etc.  It places importance in everyone – the preacher, the prayer warrior, the mother trying to raise her children, the single guy working… All equally important and valued.

Be encouraged.

At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.  (Eph. 1:23)

 

Foodie Wednesday

It’s been a few weeks since I have done a food post. And man, do I love good food. I don’t have any pictures from a sandwich shop I went to, but Gavin took me and it was delicious! It’s a tiny place called Dad’s tucked away in a strip mall behind an old mall. There is parking near the strip mall, however, we parked in the mall’s parking lot and walked through some scrubs and ends up at Dad’s. They started out as a cheese spread company, then turned sandwich shop in 2008. As a first timer, I got to try every cheese spread for free and had the hardest time choosing which I liked better. Let’s be honest, they were all delicious. I highly recommend this place, I think they are only open from 11am-3pm. They also have daily specials. Once they are gone, they are gone!

I used the UrbanSpoon app on my iPhone and found a place called “Happy Falafel.” It is only a ten-fifteen minute walk from my place. I talked to the owner and he said they have only been open for two months. He said at lunch they ran out of some items because they make everything fresh. I loved it!

Saturday mornings always calls for doughnuts and milk. I found out where Spalding’s was and headed there around 9:30am. The foyer was packed! I waited in line for 20 minutes or so, but it was worth the wait. Elijah, Josh and I each had 4. So good!

Finally, some creations of my own!

Pineapple caramel empanadas!

This recipe is from Marcela on Food Network Channel.  Here it is:

Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 (1-pound) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/3 cup cajeta or thick caramel sauce
• 1/2 cup finely grated Monterrey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup pineapple, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 2 eggs, beaten and blended with 1 tablespoon water
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 2 tablespoons demarara or light brown sugar
• Special equipment: a 3-inch round cookie cutter or a clean 3-inch diameter can with the top removed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unfold 1sheet of puff pastry on lightly floured surface. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter or a 3-inch diameter can with the top removed, cut out 9 circles of dough. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet. Put a scant teaspoon of cajeta in center of each round. Top each with a sprinkling of grated cheese and 3 or 4 pieces of pineapple. Brush the edge of each circle with the egg mixture and enclose each empanada into a half moon. Crimp the edges with fork. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and brush each empanada with the egg mixture. Crimp edges with fork.Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheet and brush them with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with demarara sugar and bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the empanadas to a serving platter and serve warm.

Gourmet chicken taco pizza. It has that green salsa, black beans, corn, grilled chicken and cheese. Delicious!

I’m up by 8:30 now, so breakfast has come a part of my life. I don’t regret that part. I do regret that I’m awake that early.

Midnight snack: Grilled Italian wheat bread with pepper jack cheese, turkey, tomato and cucumber topped with black pepper!

Finally, a lovely package from Wright Cakes & Catering.

With being cautious with food choices and exercise. I’m not going to be the big guy at the family reunion this year

Happy Wednesday! Eat well, live well!!