April 10, 2010

Our entry forms for the 5K race in Pottstown, April 10th, are in the mail. Jim, Erin, our neighbor Erin B., and I are entering as a team. I am in my 5th week of the Couch 2 5K training program and am still very excited. Considering that there is still a whole lot of snow on the ground, running has been rather chilly lately. I am learning that it doesn't take long to warm up, and before I'm done I'm even removing my gloves and resenting my hat! (The hat needs to stay on- it keeps my cheap headphones in place.)

Yesterday as I was running the W5D2, which is two 8 minute runs with a three minute recovery walk in between, I was 2 1/2 minutes from the end of the second run when I met two walkers coming toward me. My thoughts of falling down on the road dead were replaced by the desire to keep it up at least until I'd passed them. Then, right at the same moment, my dear friend Heidi and I recognized each other and she immediately went into cheerleader mode! "Go, go, go! You are awesome!" yelled the master of encouragement as I raised my hands with V for victory and grinned from ear to ear.

I need no more evidence that this running thing is mostly psychological. I went from "ready to die" to "totally energized" in a matter of moments with no physical aid at all. I was able to finish well, thanks to my friend's energetic support.

Now if she'll only show up tomorrow when I'm supposed to have a 20 minute run without any breaks...

Bon Appetit!

I have finally made a dish from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We have watched the movie several times, bought the cookbook, and read her biography. It is well past time to hit the kitchen!

We chose Roast Chicken in Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms, not only because it looked so good in the movie, but also because,... well, it just sounds so scrumptious! As it happens, the movie doesn't quite follow the cookbook. The recipe begins with roasting a whole chicken- they showed chicken breasts; in the movie this was the scene where Julie learns to saute mushrooms perfectly, the mushrooms in the recipe are not sauteed. I ran somewhere down the middle, using chicken breasts and sauteing a few mushrooms while following the rest exactly.

This is also the very first time that I have dealt with a flaming pan of food- something they left out of the movie entirely, but would have been awfully entertaining.

We learned that all of the many steps to making this dish could be sorted out and done in easy portions, instead of taking it all at once. Once the recipe was broken down this way, it wasn't so very difficult. We also learned that when Julia writes, "avert your face" right before, "ignite the cognac", it's a real good idea to take her seriously. Nobody is singed, but we are going to give God all of the credit for that...

Not satisfied with merely cooking the food, we did, of course, photograph the food as well. Enjoy. If you hear of a widget that will allow for a scratch and sniff feature for computers, let me know.

Quickly cook the shallots in butter- real butter.

The Port wine

Mushrooms briefly boiled in water, butter, and lemon juice, then the juice is poured off and reserved and the cream is added to the mushrooms.

Chicken breasts roasted in butter... oh, yum.

A sauce is made from the reserved mushroom juice, port wine, and
mushrooms in cream. Yes, it's actually pink.

The chicken goes into a buttered pan in preparation for cognac and the match...

Woosh!

I'm still not sure how this influenced the flavor- but it sure was cool to do!

Finished product. Poulet au Porto. Be still my heart.

Mobilizing For Sam Rohrer

My Sweetie sure knows how to show a girl a good time on Valentine's Day weekend.

Yesterday morning we got all dressed up and drove to Harrisburg for... a political conference. Now, normally, I would have wanted to attend a political conference about as much as I wanted a root canal. But this past year has changed things for me. Watching our government seemingly spinning out of control even as people all across our Nation are gathering to loudly protest- and yet not be heard- has raised my awareness. For me, voting has always involved knowing pretty much about the Presidential candidates, but not much about anyone else, and therefore voting the straight Republican Party ticket. No more.

Especially after what was happening in the same hotel where we met yesterday. While we were in one meeting hall with Sam Rohrer, our local State Representative who is now running for Governor, the Pennsylvania Republican Committee was in another meeting hall deciding that the Republicans of PA don't know enough to choose our own candidate in a Primary. The PRC voted yesterday to endorse our state Attorney General and moderate Republican, Tom Corbett, instead of holding an open primary in which the people's choice could be heard.

Really?! Wow.

We have decided to endorse Sam Rohrer, not only because he is a conservative Republican who has served nine terms in Harrisburg and can reliably be trusted to stand up for constitutional government and family affirming public policies*, but because Jim has actually met with him on several occasions to discuss his understanding of the role of government in Pennsylvania and how he wants to lead our state. (*full disclosure- I quoted some of Sam's literature in order to keep this succinct.) We've done our homework. Sam is also a brother in the Lord- but that is not why we are voting for him. It does give us direction in praying for him and his campaign.

Early in Sam's time as a Representative in Harrisburg, he developed a list- a filter, actually- through which every policy needed to pass before he would vote on it.

1.) Is it moral?
2.) Is it constitutional?
3.) Is it needed?
4.) Can we pay for it?
5.) Is this a State issue, or should it be dealt with on a more local level?

A "no" answer on any of these meant a no from Sam. The simplicity is beautiful. His integrity is obvious. Only a man of great personal character, absent of the vanity which political life normally breeds, would hold himself to such honest boundaries.

So, yesterday was indeed interesting and informative. We now have not only bumper stickers and buttons to share with friends and information on Sam's record and agenda, but a petition for which we are gathering signatures to get his name onto the ballot for the Primary election in May. And I didn't go empty-handed, I took my camera. Enjoy.

Some 400 people came to this event.

Plenty of information to be had.

I love camera folks.

Listening intently.

Our choice for Governor, Sam Rohrer

"Go Sam Go!"

Man of integrity.

And the crowd goes wild...

Our beautiful Capitol building, covered in snow.

Running Around Blizzards

Last Friday night we had a snowstorm that lasted well into Saturday. Tonight, Tuesday, we are expecting a blizzard that will last overnight and most of tomorrow. The training schedule which I have been following has me running three days a week with a day between runs for recovery, and I've also been running an extra day to accommodate our friends who want to train together on Saturdays, (M,W,F & Sat).

With the impending weather last week I ran on Monday, Wednesday, and then Thursday, anticipating no training on Friday or Saturday. Friday was clear enough once I got off work after all, so I did get my fourth run in. Saturday there was no finding the road under the two feet of snow, so I was glad to have gotten my days in already.

Now that we have a second snow event within one week, I ran yesterday- Monday- and again today, since the weather hasn't yet arrived. The snowplows have done a masterful job of clearing the roads from Saturday's storm, and they are clean and mostly dry, with occasional areas of slush. The snow is at least two feet deep on either side of the road up here on our hill, and the sun was shining gloriously bright yesterday. It was still shining this morning but in the past couple of hours the sky has begun to darken... the blizzard is most definitely on it's way.

The Road. Beautiful, isn't it?

I feel so much better knowing that my first two days of Week 4 are accomplished. This week the routine is a 5 minute warm-up walk followed by a 3 minute run, 90 second walk, 5 minute run, 2 1/2 minute walk, 3 minute run, 90 second walk and finishing with a 5 minute run and 5 minute cool-down walk. I'm not going to say that it was easy, that second 5 minute run sure got long, but I wasn't as aware of difficulty with my breathing this time. Once I'm finished with each run I come inside to stretch, and I suddenly realized that I was getting a lot more out of the stretching than I usually do. My forehead was pressed right down on my knee and I wasn't dying! I went to a real running store a couple of weeks ago to get the right pair of shoes for me- with some evaluation by the experts there, and I give them credit for reducing the aches and pains that were accompanying my running before.

The Shoes

Seeing improvement like that is certainly encouraging. Realizing that I am making a point to get outdoors even with snow on the ground is giving me hope that I can do this after all. The discipline required to actually train for an event may not be beyond my grasp, and if I can do this, I can accomplish other goals as well.

There are way too many "I"s in this post... Only one more.

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
(-Philippians 4:10-13)

Surviving the Snowpocalypse!

Nearing the end of last week we began hearing dire predictions for a Winter storm that was heading our way from the South. I believe that makes it a 'Nor'easter". By Friday afternoon people were in a panic, clearing the grocery store shelves, gassing up their vehicles, and generally making South Floridians facing a hurricane look sane. I had gone to the store on Thursday and worked on Friday until 2, so I was determined not to go back to the store but head straight home once I was finished.

Kate did have to work, (at the grocery store) and Jim worked as well, so he picked her up on his way home. Bekah was supposed to work at Fridays, so, since the sky wasn't falling by 4:30 she went on in, using our All-Wheel Drive vehicle.

At about 5:30 the first flakes began to appear, and we were making soup and falafels for dinner. It took a while for the storm to really get moving, but when we were texting Bekah to tell her to get off work and come home NOW, it was another hour before she was released. By then she was rather nervous about driving in the dark with the weather, but she has nerves of steel so we told her to go ahead and come on home.

Our hill, you must understand, gets difficult to climb once the roads get too bad. We knew that they were still passable with the car she was using, provided she came up a certain road. If she didn't come home Friday, we wouldn't see her until Sunday, because the snow was forecast to continue for almost 24 hours. She gritted her teeth, took a hold of the wheel, and made it home safely. What a relief. With all of our darlings safe under our roof, we tucked ourselves in for a long Winter nap.

In the morning I crawled out of bed and took a look out the window. Snow was steadily falling in the quiet dawn, and there was no discernible difference from yard to driveway to road to neighbor's yard across the street. Pure, undefiled snow, as far as I could see. And continuing to fall...

Just gorgeous,... and deep! (Look at the bench to the right)

The situation clearly called for action. So I gave everyone a wake up holler and dashed downstairs to make pancakes! Once fed, the crew suited up for battle and attacked the snow with shovels, at least 2 feet deep on the front porch, back porch, and driveway. Before long our neighbor Keith brought up his Kubota tractor for Jim to use to clear our driveway- what a blessing indeed! With two feet of snow already blanketing the driveway, and more falling, it begins to look like a futile task. Even with the borrowed machinery it took Jim and Isaac 4 1/2 hours to finish up.

Isaac and Jim in their mission to dig us out...

Now this will help!

The storm has passed, all is quiet and calm.

Vali enjoyed herself immensely outside once she figured out where the steps to the deck were. Jumping and leaping through all of that chest-deep snow was the best fun she'd had in a long time. So much fun, in fact, that she needed to barf her entire breakfast on the carpet before laying down for a quick nap.

Indoors we had a cozy fire going in the fireplace and Kate and Bekah helped me with household cleaning while I also cooked and baked. A hearty spaghetti lunch was just what the diggers needed, and warm fresh bread from the oven is simply aromatherapy and absolutely delightful on a cold day. Later in the evening, once we were all recovered from our labors, we made pretzels from an Auntie Anne's kit- yum- and played a new game that Jim got the family for Christmas; You've Been Sentenced.

Warm and yummy.

Erin prepares to twist.

Words fail me...

"You've Been Sentenced"

Game night is so much fun...

Oh, what in the world?
Erin is a master of justification... and confusion.

All in all, I'd say we had a spectacular weekend.

And they're calling for more snow on Tuesday night- yee-haw!

The Forecast

It may snow tonight. Lately the temperatures have certainly been cold enough, and now we are again looking at a forecast of snow continuing into the morning hours. I'm wondering how this will affect my training schedule? (a thought that has only recently begun to cross my mind...)

See, we don't own a treadmill, so the running that I've been doing has been happening outdoors. I never, NEVER, never thought that I could walk, much less run, outside when it is as cold as we've been experiencing. Yet, it has been dry, so I've laced up the shoes, pulled on the warm gear, and gone out the door three days a week at least. Nobody is more surprised than me, believe me.

But tomorrow will be different. I will be given so many excuses to stay inside where it is dry and warm. Snow on the ground, muck on the road, slippery footing...

On Monday I was actually able to go for my run on the trails at Gring's Mill, not far from where I work. The sun was shining brilliantly and I was all alone as I walked and ran. The intervals for this week are 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, then 3 minutes of running and 3 minutes of walking- repeat. Just me and the birds as I listened to the music podcast with the audio cues for when to change from running to walking and back again. I'm still working on controlling my breathing, and had to watch my footing more carefully, but it was a neat time out there and I look forward to the warmer weeks to come when I can do it again.

Every single day our neighbors with the Husky go up and down our street for their exercise. First Mike takes the dog for a run, then Carole goes for her walk- sometimes twice. Rain or shine, miserably cold or terribly hot, they're out there. Of course, if Mike falls frozen on the side of the road he has the dog to save him...

(Here is where I will not mention that taking Vali for a run would be a really bad idea... she's nightmare on a leash.)

But I suppose that even without a sled dog to save me I can get out there. After all, our group run with mike and Sharon and the kids on Saturday was accomplished in 18 degrees... What's a little snow?!

If I survive this, April will be easy!

"...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
(-Hebrews 12:1-3)

How Did We Get There?

I was going to do a bit of venting about the fracas at dinner tonight, but then my son meekly knocked on my door and came in to apologize, so, never mind.

When I cook beans for dinner I'm really not out to ruin his evening, but somehow it often does. We told him, as he sat there on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown over his bowl, that someday he might have a girlfriend who's a lousy cook, but he would need to be able to choke down whatever she makes in order not to hurt her feelings. His response?

"I'm allowed to have a girlfriend?!"

Oh boy...

W2D3

Today dawned sunny, but cooold. So very cold. The mid-twenties warmed into the mid-thirties by noon and I figured that if I was going to run at all, I had better get going before I talked myself out of it. For the program I'm supposed to run three days a week, with a recovery day in between. My week begins on Saturday, when we go run with our friends, so Monday and Wednesday are the next two days. Friday I'll be taking an easy day out on the road instead of going for too long between runs. Trying to keep the self-discipline going- it's part of the point.

I have some new running gear that I was eager to try anyway, so I donned my insulated pants; three layers on top; headphones running to the nifty pocket on the sleeve holding my phone/music player which was playing a podcast of music and audio cues for my intervals; hat and gloves to finish the warmth; and out I went!

Today was Week 2, Day 3, which means that after a five minute brisk walk I ran 90 second intervals with 2 minute walks in between. As I ran the music helped to keep me upbeat and not pay so much attention to the snow flurries that were hitting me in the face. Having the intervals given to me by the audio helped a lot, instead of carrying the kitchen timer and re-setting it every time.

So 25 minutes later I finished my final run and walked out a five minute cool-down before getting back inside for some slow stretches. Funny, but the house hadn't seemed so very warm when I left it for my run.

Frozen face and drippy nose aren't so bad really. I got out there on a day that I'd much rather have stayed indoors and pushed through to the end of my run with no cheating. Yes, there are physical benefits to be sure, but the knowledge that I actually accomplished this run today feels better than anything else right now.

Jerusalem House of Kabob!

Since we moved to the Reading area, we have passed a unique looking establishment every time we drive to church, or really anyplace toward the city. Not far from the local Islamic Center of Reading, there is a halal grocery on one street corner, and diagonally across the intersection, the Jerusalem House of Kabob, combined with the Holyland Market, as announced by the giant yellow on red banner across the front of the store. We are adventurous eaters, and enjoy travel, so we figured that a dinnertime in the Holyland might be fun.

Music straight from the Middle East played as we entered the store. As we perused the shelves of the market, Jim saw many products that he had seen in the grocery stores in Dubai. Almost everything had the name written in Arabic first, with English added as well. Smells of olive oil, garlic and exotic spices emanated from the "restaurant" side of the store. Perusing the menu, Jim felt right back in Dubai as we read off the choices. The girls quizzed the owner on the vegetarian-friendly offerings and were assured that the falafel was the way to go. Jim chose the beef kabob platter and I went with a chicken kabob sandwich. Isaac wasn't so sure; no order for him.

While we waited for our dinner we chose a few items from the market shelves. A Turkish coffee that Jim remembered, boxed falafel mix, Lebanese olive oil, aromatic Basmati rice. Once out food arrived we said a blessing and tucked in.

Oh. Yum.

The girls' eyes opened wide as they tasted the wonderful flavors of their falafels wrapped in pita and seasoned with a delicious tahini sauce. Jim's beef tempted our cautious Isaac and my chicken was marvelous. I'm sure we were a sight to behold as we exclaimed over the wonderful meal and shared tastes. Jim had ordered a red lentil curry soup that was heavenly, and quickly shared around the table. The hummus was the best that I have ever, ever had, and did not last long at all.

I have a feeling we'll be stopping in more often now.

Photos

Just wanted to share real quick some photos from the past week...

Erin loving on Milo in the basement. She had clipped his claws earlier, which may account for the look on his freaked-out face.

Still in the basement, Isaac pauses from his ping-pong practice for a shot.
Beautiful reflection at Gring's Mill. I'm not familiar enough with this park along the river, but I plan to be back for more photos and maybe a run once the pathways dry up.

Chicken under a brick, cover recipe from Bon Appetit, September 2009. Yum. I changed it up slightly, adding chopped fresh sage at the point of cooking in the pan, and a drizzle of honey as it went into the oven and when I turned it. Oh baby. And it's beautiful too!

Jim.
Dinner guests, Ross and Margaret Anne, with their precious new baby, joined us for the chicken on Wednesday.

Mary Claire, absolutely precious.

And her sweet Mommy too.

That's all for now. I plan to get out this weekend for some shots that I've wanted to take around town. A little more purposeful, a little more involved. We'll see!

Decisions, Decisions.

I am not one to make "New Year Resolutions". Yet, the beginning of each New Year is ushered in in the midst of a holiday break from school with the kids home, a lot of non-routine activity, and reflections on the past year as it ends. Once the kids resume school and the decorations are put away, it is natural that some changes take place. There is an initial shuffling about of activities and priorities as we try to find where exactly the balancing point is.

We therefore have a few changes to our life that will be put to the test in the coming months to see which will last and become part of the norm, and which will pass on to the graveyard of good intentions.

I have already mentioned here my involvement in the Camera Club and my hope to improve my photographic knowledge and skills. I will be putting some of what I have learned to use with my film camera as well. Follow through once the images are captured will be a challenge as I don't want to simply dump them into the black hole of my external hard drives, only to linger in unfinished obscurity. I need to get printed and copied to disk those that are worth keeping, and eliminate those that aren't.

I have also mentioned the girls' dietary shift to vegetarianism. We are still figuring out how to better accommodate that. I'm thinking that they could plan at least one or two meals a week that will be entirely veggie, and I can use the many resources that I have already at hand to increase the variety of meat-free dishes that are served at each meal. This is still a work in progress.

Through the inspiration of a friend in Florida, some of our family have begun training to run in a 5K race in the Spring. Following a program called the Couch 2 5K running plan, which is designed to take couch potatoes to a 5K run in 9 weeks, we are entering our second week of training tomorrow. Another family from church are joining us in the understanding that a little accountability helps us to keep to the schedule and aim for our goals.

Our most important goal this year, indeed, ever, is to train our children in the ways of the Lord. We have been able since the beginning of the school year to maintain a routine of family devotions each morning before the kids go to school. This has been working well, for the most part, but we seem to have compressed our time with a lack of discipline about waking up in the morning and losing our focus on the importance of our family worship. We are attempting to renew that focus and re-invigorate our devotional time with emphasizing how very vital it is to each of us and our relationship with our Heavenly Father, as well as our family relationship one to another.

Along similar lines, my own personal piety is always in need of improvement. I am still attempting to finish my reading of Calvin's Institutes. I had hoped by now to be moving on to Jonathon Edwards, yet that shall have to wait. I'm pretty sure that finishing Edwards in a year would require being stranded on a deserted island with his books, but I digress.

So there it is. Personally, and corporately, the goals and desires that have developed for myself and our family in the past weeks. Let's see if we can truly incorporate them into our lives this year.

Weeping With Those Who Weep

As we have watched the News coming out of Haiti this week, of the pain and loss and unspeakable suffering, we have felt so very helpless. Jim was down there a couple of years ago to help a Missionary who is supported by our church, so we have a first-hand knowledge of how very destitute Haiti was even before the earthquake struck last week. Already the recipients of massive amounts of aid from around the world, and needing the help of medical missions constantly, they were certainly not prepared in the least for a disaster of such magnitude.

Watching the horror unfold in the days immediately after the quake, as News crews and cameras began reporting on the aftermath, we weep and pray. What began as horrible has grown to become unimaginably worse. From a mother laying on a mattress in a field, being held down by friends, because her grief over the loss of all five of her children has driven her insane, to seeing dump trucks full of unidentifiable dead bodies emptying its gruesome load into a mass grave, the pain and anguish are too great to bear.

Our Missionary and his family were all able to evacuate safely to Florida on Saturday and we have read and watched reports of others fortunate enough to escape with their lives and families. Yet Kate works with a young man whose entire family is in Haiti, only he and his mother moved to the States, and he has been able to reach only a few relatives, uncertain of the whereabouts of most.

So, inevitably, we must wonder; where was God when this happened? Is God, as Pat Robertson claims, punishing Haiti for a pact they made with the Devil?

"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, "it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." -Luke 9:2-3

How can we discern the will of God in such a situation?! Certainly the punishment for anyone, Haitian or not, who chooses to turn their back on the Lord of Salvation and serve false gods has paid for their treason before 200 years pass. The people of Haiti have suffered much over the years, from corruption to disease to poverty, and they have fled when they could. There are in Haiti many who are faithful to the Lord, who serve and worship the true God of the Universe.

I don't have an answer to such a big question, no tidy package to mollify the conscience and make a grand excuse for God. The Lord has his plans and purposes, his ways are beyond searching out. I will not presume to know the mind of the Omniscient one.

I do believe that all things that happen come from the Lord's hand. How frightful to think that an earthquake is beyond God's control! Scripture clearly teaches that all things, whether they bring joy or pain, are under God's decree. A tragic event sent into the life of only one person has ripple effects which touch many lives. How much more is that magnified when it is a disaster on the scale of what we see unfolding in Haiti? In one way or another, the whole world is being touched by this event. A myriad of purposes splashing around the globe from one earthquake.

But, oh, such a high death toll, such suffering beyond comprehension!

God's ways are higher than our ways.

What of those who die quietly around the world every day, individually, yet without the Lord? Those who have forsaken the Savior of men while they lived, only to die and face the righteous judgment seat of God? They enter into eternity by the numberless thousands daily, with eternal suffering on a scale which causes the Haitian crisis to pale in comparison.

"Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he
may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
declares the LORD."
-Isaiah 55:6-8

Perhaps this crisis is just what we need to wake a slumbering and dying world to the reality of their peril. Perhaps this is what it will take to shake a comfortable church out of her pews and back into the fields which are white for the harvest. Finishing his answer to his disciples from the question above, concerning why the Lord would ordain a painful circumstance, Jesus answered-

"We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." -Luke 9:4-5

So let's do what we can. As John Piper once said when asked about Missions, "Go, send, or disobey". I'll add to that, PRAY!

Photography Fun

In the past many weeks I have been going to, then joined, the local camera club's meetings here in Reading. The Berks Photographic Society consists of photographers from professionals to hobbyists and casual camera-nuts like myself. I'm hoping that if some of their knowledge and experience don't exactly rub off onto me, I at least might learn a thing or two from them.

Thus far I have picked up a stray bit of knowledge on a couple of occasions. Enough to get me into the realm of "knowing just enough to frustrate myself". One tidbit that will continue to grow is the link to a website which provides a whole lot of photography lore. Ken Rockwell maintains a site through which he shares his photos, experience and knowledge, and reviews camera gear. From there, and others I know, I learned that there is a certain lens without which I can no longer live.

Fortunately, this discovery was made before Christmas while the girls were trying to figure out what to get for me! They pooled their resources and ordered The Lens, which arrived this past Saturday- oh boy!

And now, the photos! (some, at least!)

It's indoors, it's night time, and there's no flash needed!
The aperture opens up nice and wide to use the available light for a
smashing shot without blinding the lovely models!

That nice wide aperture also gives me a very shallow depth of field,
which means my subject is clearly set apart from everything else in view.

Using a flash would have given my sweet kitty the "green-eyed demonic" look.
But in this low light we just see that his eyes are big and black.

That's all for now, more to come later.

Recipe for Pork Chops With Black Pepper : La Cucina Italiana

This is the recipe over which I labored before learning that my older daughters would not be eating it since they had taken the pledge with Erin to abstain from meat... It is absolutely amazing, I promise you.

Recipe for Pork Chops With Black Pepper : La Cucina Italiana

Posted using ShareThis

Exciting News!

It has taken several days for me to get here with the news, but better late than never, right? Saturday Rebekah checked the mail only to find a letter from the Culinary Institute of America which began with, "Congratulations, you have been accepted..."!

Rebekah has been accepted into the school at the top of her list, which is also the premiere Culinary Institute in America, certainly, and probably in the world. Our chef, our Bekah, our child who has known with a singular focus for years now just exactly what she wants to do with her life, is now looking at an open door that leads to that future! What an answer to prayer this is.

Now we are praying still that Bekah would be focused and disciplined in the competitions in which she is going to participate at the State level, would proceed to the National level and succeed there as well, so scholarship opportunities would be available. There are other avenues which we will be pursuing for financing and scholarships in the meantime.

Now the paperwork begins as we work on the many details before us. But it is work that we are pursuing with great joy!

Why Vegetarians? Why?

Tonight I prepared the cover recipe from one of Bekah's hoity-toity cooking magazines. It takes a bit of planning and preparation and a few special ingredients, as well as hoping for everyone to be on-time to dinner. With the latter in view, we didn't actually eat until after 7 pm, in order to have everyone home from work and enjoying the culinary masterpiece all at once. I say masterpiece only because it is absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious, even though it is a fool-proof recipe once all the pieces are in place, not because it takes any extraordinary skill. It is a beautiful sight as well. And, oh, the smell...

Wouldn't tonight be the night that, once seated at the table, the girls peel back the layer of confusion to reveal that they are all choosing to be vegetarians...

Oh- I entirely forgot to mention that this recipe is based on PORK CHOPS.

Another glass of wine please. It helps to dull the pain as I bite my lip to avoid saying something I'll regret.

The upside: I can spend less on groceries since I'm only buying meat for three people.

(struggling to find more entries for this category)

The downside: Why linger? Let's just not go here.

My girls are making a choice based on health reasons, not inconvenience to Mom...

Oh boy.

Quiet Saturday Morning

Yesterday was so relaxing to share the first day of the year with my family. One of our gifts for Jim on Christmas was the HBO series, John Adams. I had read reviews that sang the praises of not only the production and casting, but also the faithfulness to the actual truth of this story. So yesterday between various household tasks- bring in wood for the fireplace, care for animals, peel potatoes- and mealtime, we watched the first three episodes. Years ago I read the book John Adams, by David McCullough. My memory fails me in the finer details, but thusfar they seem to be doing a fine job in not "PC-ifying" the story.

I was the second to bed last night, Rebekah being the first. She has always been keenly aware of her need for reasonable amounts of sleep. The others stayed up reading or working on a project for Erin's room, which is almost finished.

When I came downstairs this morning to get my coffee, I saw that Vali had not been put behind the hallway door for the night. We have learned that she needs to be confined when we aren't able to observe her, because she behaves badly if she thinks no one is watching. Sure enough, the downstairs is strewn with the contents of the kitchen trash can this morning. I don't think she got far enough down to get the pork roast bones, which would have been a huge prize, but also very dangerous for her. The mess is, of course, a big problem. A potentially larger problem with this tendency of hers is the danger of eating everything she finds that smells so great- to her. Poisoning herself, or swallowing something that would need to be surgically removed is rather likely. She really is her own worst enemy.

So not only are we facing the task of taking down the tree today and getting other end-of-vacation chores done, but we get to start off with cleaning up another of Vali's messes.

Welcome to 2010

New beginnings are on the horizon. We change our calendars, and this year we even change out the double 0 in the middle of the name of the year. I saw a discussion a week or so ago questioning what we will call this past decade; the 60's, 70's or 80's are easily said and defined by now. But what do we call these last nine years, the "o's"? Someone suggested the "Aughts". Ha, not in America we won't- that sounds waaay too British.

Regardless of what it ends up being called, this past few years have been quite a ride for us as a family. Ten years ago today we were preparing to move to Florida. We lived with some friends in Grove City while Jim house-hunted and began his new job in South Florida. There was snow on the ground when we actually left in February, I can't remember if we had a White Christmas or New Year.

Back then I had little idea exactly who John Calvin was, and if I did know I certainly didn't care. Now I have spent a year reading his Institutes of Christian Religion after learning in the church we attended in Florida just who he was and the impact he had on our beliefs by his scholarship and writing. Our time in Florida served, among many other things, to open my eyes to a wider and deeper heritage in the Christian faith than I had previously known. As it happens, those Old White Dead Guys knew a thing or two, and it is indeed beneficial to get to know them. (I'm including Augustine here, but I'm not sure what ethnicity he was, wasn't he from Africa?)

I say that I have spent a year reading the Institutes; I have not finished them in that year. A funny thing happened as I was reading through Book three- Jim came home from Dubai. As he was away for five months, I was delighted that my husband was home. There was so much catching up to do, so much normal life to share, so many daily conversations over coffee and lunch. Not having a job meant that he was here day in and day out to keep me company, every morning, every meal, every time I sat down to read...

It was uncanny. Jim could be at his desk in the basement, on phone calls, doing classwork, emailing potential employers; but if I sat down with my book, suddenly he was upstairs to talk. If I'm not "actively working", then I must want to visit. I love my husband, I do. Really. But the solitude in which to sit and read is a rare treasure, and that solitude is what I need to finish my reading!

Well. Yesterday being New Year's Eve, I traded with someone else at work and went in for an extended shift at Curves, opening at 8, closing at 3. As it happens, we also had a bit of weather yesterday. Snow started falling before dawn and we had an accumulation of maybe two to three inches at the club before it was over. Fortunately I took John Calvin along with me. For the first two hours and 15 minutes I was alone with my reading- what bliss! Just me and Calvin, and the snow trucks out in the parking lot. Over that seven hour shift only five women came in to workout, with large gaps in between.

I sailed through two weeks worth of the reading schedule to make it into September and Book four! Yee-haw! I finished Calvin's apologetically firm, yet God honoring, discussion of the just condemnation of the reprobate, and am now reading his doctrine of The Church, using the Nicene Creed as his guide.

Since any discussion of the former topic is necessarily long and tangled, I will not begin to open it here. I will merely share one quote that is worth meditating upon.

"God's grace is tasteless to men until the Holy Spirit brings its savor."

Now I am reading the fourth and final book of the Institutes, which Calvin titles "The External Means or Aims by Which God Invites Us Into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein". Chapter 1 is "The True Church with Which as Mother of All the Godly We Must Keep Unity". In a note at the beginning of the chapter, the editor writes that "The space accorded by Calvin to the doctrine of the church in the Institutes is evidence of the high importance it assumed for him." Indeed, Calvin's purpose for writing the Institutes was, in part, to define the distinctions between the Roman Catholic church and the teachings of the Reformation.

Having attended many different "flavors" of churches over the years this topic is turning out to be far more interesting than I expected. Certainly Predestination and Election are the doctrines for which Calvin is best known, but his teachings encompass every aspect of practice and belief into a cohesive whole. As a Pastor and teacher he desired to lead his congregation into all truth as found in Scripture, and his zeal for Christ and His Word allowed for no compromise or soft-pedaling of that truth.

After identifying the marks of a true church as the ministry of the Word and the administration of the sacraments, (of baptism and holy communion) he declares that, "...believers have no greater help than public worship, for by it God raises His own folk upward step by step."

Calvin's high view of God's sovereignty surely informs his opinion of God's care for and guardianship over His church. It's common knowledge that there is no "perfect church", since each church is made up of sinners and will be flawed. He therefore contends that a church with the marks of authority described above, however defective, is not to be forsaken. We live in a society that seeks out churches that will be a "perfect fit", that will minister to "felt needs", and that will be "sensitive to seekers". If no such church is found, then we'll just wing it on our own, be "lone wolf Christians". After all, all we need is a Bible and God will speak to us, right? I was riveted as I read the following...

"It is of no small importance that (the church) is called "the pillar and ground of the truth" and "the house of God" [1 Tim. 3:15]. By these words Paul means that the church is the faithful keeper of God's truth in order that it may not perish in the world. For by its ministry and labor God willed to have the preaching of his Word kept pure and to show himself the Father of a family, while he feeds us with spiritual food and provides everything that makes for our salvation. It is also no common praise to say that Christ has chosen and set apart the church as his bride, "without spot or wrinkle", [Eph. 5:27], "his body and... fullness" [Eph. 1:23]. From this it follows that separation from the church is the denial of God and Christ. Hence we must even more avoid so wicked a separation. For when with all our might we are attempting the overthrow of God's truth, we deserve to have him hurl the whole thunderbolt of his wrath to crush us. Nor can any more atrocious crime be conceived than for us by sacrilegious disloyalty to violate the marriage that the only begotten Son of God deigned to contract with us. [Eph. 5:23-32] (italics mine)

Calvin's zeal for and his uncompromising stand on the Word are just the ticket for stiffening the spine in our churches today.

Happy New Year!

Letter to my Senator

I'm not sure that I can organize my thoughts this evening to the crystal clear point to which I came while sitting in church Sunday morning, but I'll give it a shot.

I still had an email from one of my U.S.Senators simmering on the back burner of my mind, and as my eyes wandered over the text of Scripture in my open Bible, I read ahead of where my Pastor was reading. (sorry Wendell)

As I scanned Isaiah 10, I was riveted by the following.

"Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations..." (Isaiah 10:5-7).
(Italics mine)

Right there on the page after God's glorious announcement that "...to us a son is born...", (Isaiah 9:6) is a declaration of the judgment that God is sending against Jacob and Israel because of their arrogance and oppression. His people have not been living as His people, and He will therefore utilize the destruction that lies in the heart of another to punish them and bring them low.

Now, I'm not intending to unravel all the complexities of God's Providence in the affairs of men right here and now. But I find it intriguing to find references of His divine hand almost everywhere I look in Scripture, once my eyes knew to see them as such. It's as if I was looking through the viewfinder of my camera at a large forest, focused down to bring clear the vines entwined in the tree branches, only to discover that they are laced across the entire canopy of the woods.

With a mere breath between promises God tells us that He is sending a child-

"...and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:6-7) (Wendell's text- I was listening!)

Take a breath. And then-

"...the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against (His people), and stirs up (their) enemies." (Isaiah 9:11)

So, to my point here. I had received an email message from Senator Arlen Specter, (D, PA). I am on his email list, ironically, because I've sent him messages voicing my lack of support for the passage of the Healthcare Bill that Congress is creating. (I'm not against reforming our system, it needs to change somehow, but this ain't it.) I'll quote from his Holiday message, because nobody says it like a zealot.

"Dear Friend, (?!?!)

From the cloture vote, it is now apparent that 60 Democratic Senators are in favor of comprehensive health care reform. This legislation is an important step in seeing to it that adequate health care becomes a right in America and not just a privilege.

It is not the bill that I would have preferred and there is an opportunity to improve it in conference. I would like to see a strong, robust public option. I would like to see more clear-cut language on a woman’s right to choose. But it has many important features. It covers 31 million more Americans. It has important insurance reforms. No longer can an insurance company reject a claim because of a pre-existing condition. No longer can there be a lifetime limit on insurance coverage.

I consider the legislation similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1965. It was a very good law, but it took a preliminary legislative enactment in 1957 and another in 1964 - each an incremental step - to set the stage for what was satisfactory and adequate civil rights legislation.

It is regrettable that there is such divisive partisanship in the Senate today. When we took the cloture vote, every one of the 60 Democrats said ‘Aye,’ and every one of the 40 Republicans said ‘Nay.’ It is the same attitude that pervaded the Senate during the stimulus package which I think was indispensible to avoid a 1929 Depression. I believe that when you have thousands of people dying each year because they don’t have insurance or adequate medical care, this bill is a very significant step forward.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season. " (Text in bold print was his choice, not mine.)

I'm really pretty sure that it would be difficult to describe this legislation in as opposite a fashion from how I see it. I shot back a hot and quick, yet respectful and spit-free reply.

"Senator Specter,

I disagree with you on every point concerning the Health Care bill which you are about to vote through. I believe that it will be signing the death warrant for our Constitution and the beginning of Socialism in America, which will lead to our downfall as a Nation. The transparency and bipartisanship which Candidate Obama promised have certainly not come to fruition in President Obama's administration, and the Democratic Caucus appears to be gleefully skipping along behind him as he leads our country to the brink of economic collapse.

You sir have neither my support nor my confidence and I will join with the many others who agree with common sense and love our Constitution to vote you out of office.

My prayers are with you at this time in hopes that God will open your eyes to what is happening and open your ears to the pleas from your constituents.

Merry Christmas to you and may you come to your senses sooner than later."

As we have been following the debate on health care and how our Congress has been handling it, it has been very easy to become tangled neck-deep in the mire of politics and ugliness. As one dear friend puts it, "When I watch Glenn Beck it makes me breathe funny". Defeating the health care bill before Congress would be a marvelous victory and a step in the right direction toward preserving our free-market economy and system of Democracy. If the bill does pass however, it will not be the end of civilization as we know it. We won't have to take our family and live in caves, foraging for our survival and making fire from a pair of sticks. (We have a Boy Scout- he knows how to make fire...)

Actually getting to my point now; God is still in control. The election of Barrack Obama and a Democratic majority in Congress have reduced God's power not one whit. The Ancient of Days saw this coming; the Creator of the universe was not caught by surprise; and the Mighty One is not anthropomorphically chewing His fingernails in His anxiety over Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman deciding to vote for health care.

I looked up a whole pile of verses concerning God's dominion over the hearts and minds of earthly kings and His heavenly direction of the affairs of men. But I really want to focus on only one more.

"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things (sins). Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. (1Timothy 6:11-16)

The President of the United States of America is but a man. The Congress of the United States of America is made up of men and women.

Our God reigns, and Him will I serve come hell or high water, health care or higher taxes.