Homemade Natural Simple Recipes
This is one of my favorite blogs.
And they supply a great list of recipes.
This is one of my favorite blogs.
And they supply a great list of recipes.
I thought I would have this as a weekly post. It allows me to be transparent and send you link love from friends/blogs I read.
1. Saturday night was one of the most enjoyable of my 3.5 months in Raleigh. Headed to the NCMA to watch the Blind Side on the big screen. Free, football (movie), and friends. Going back this Friday to watch Where the Wild Things Are. Never saw it when it was all in blogosphere, so now I get to watch it for free! And I love hearing people laugh, and learning what they laugh at!
2. I miss the weekly and way Sojourn does communion.
3. I love the pastors at my church. They are a true treasure to me.
4. Can one ever eat too much Mexican food? I don’t think so.
5. I started a new blog: For the Love of North Carolina. Check it out.
6. My brother is fishing on the Suwannee this week and my parents just started their 3 week cross country train trip. I think Ty and I are the only 2 working.
7. UVA trip to write and photog and hike this week. I really love UVA – the campus is gorgeous and there is so much history there. I’m taking the backroads up there, so maybe I’ll get in some cool NC shots for the blog.
8. I am losing a battle. It is all about choices. Today, I took the stairs, did jumping jacks, and will do two miles on a treadmill tonight when I get home from a long day.
9. Michael Weatherly and Mark Harmon – who can’t just love those two!
10. Knowing that no matter how many times a day people have babies, it is still a miracle of God and we can never take those births for granted. Praying for some folks in Durham.
11. Sometimes there is pain in the joy and joy in the pain. But, I will rejoice.
12. Found out about pregnancies and engagements this week – God is good.
Link Love
1. I don’t know if I would wear this, but it makes me think of one of the greatest fiction men of all time.
2. If you have girls who love pink (every girl should love pink), then this would be a fabulously decorated room.
3. I am thankful for this guy’s sense of humor and the way he has really mentored me in some way since 2003.
4. If you love the fiddle or the drums, watch this. I personally liked the second one better.
5. I admit, I do this. Do you?
6. If you want to be a better writer, you must be a better reader. This is why I do so much of it. Justin Taylor recounts Doug Wilson.
7. This is definitely one of my favorite summer cookies. I love them.
The only comics I read growing up were Archie and the Sunday Funnies. I loved waking up each Sunday morning and looking at the brightly colored comics – now many of them I don’t even know, nor are they funny. I miss the days of new Garfields, Peanuts, and B.C.
DC Comics are a different thing altogether. Even though I’ve watched most of the movies, I’ve never read any of the actual comics. I know they are very different and I can’t call myself a fan if I haven’t. But, I have watched Unbreakable by M. Night and there are some creapy comic book fans out there!
I love the original Batman, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, all the Spideys (of recent years)… But, what of Wonder Woman? I don’t think I ever watched an episode/rerun with Lynda Carter (THE Wonder Woman in most opinions). I grew up watching the Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, and The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (loved 11am on Saturday mornings).
I came across this blog yesterday and did some thinking about it. Why hasn’t Wonder Woman been as big of a HERO as her male counterparts? Is it because she isn’t strong enough? No. There are reasons at which I’ll get to later. One of the statements in the blog I read brings up an interesting fact of feminism and lesbianism (do they really think this will sell more copies):
“Comic books are a male-dominate, testosterone fueled medium. Guys grow up wanting to be Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Captain America. Wonder Woman is eye-candy and the hot chick they fantasize about. First, last and always. The small percentage of women and girls that read Wonder Woman hardly make up for the large percentage of men and boys who don’t. The best rendition of Wonder Woman is and was the Lynda Carter version – and she wore the one-piece. Even then the character of Steve Trevor was introduced only to give Wonder Woman someone to rescue every week and give her a little heterosexual cover. The woman is almost 70 years old. Isn’t it about time she finally chose a side. Drag her out of the closet and let her start singing Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls songs.”
Amazon, not the bookseller, but the home of WW, is an all-female planet. Females dominate. “Wonder Woman is an Amazon (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and was created by Marston (an American) as a “distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men.” I would love to go back and interview the creator of WW for DC Comics. Created by a husband/wife team who lead a polygamous lifestyle, WW was seen as a loving superhero who embodied the feminist, non-traditional woman of the day (WW2). Marston, the main creator, said this in 1943:
“Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don’t want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women’s strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.”
The more I study this – the problem goes deeper. So, basically, we have, all demonstrated in WW: helpless men, all-powerful, attractive, sexy, loving, truthful, I’m-in-charge woman.” This is what we as Americans are giving are girls. Now they want to make her a lesbian or a feminist? They aren’t too far from the truth according to some.
But, without going further…how can we as Christians (especially women and mothers and those who work with young women) counter this?
1. Please do not misunderstand me – I am not advocating door-mat women. I am not advocating weak women. Just to get that right.
2. We need to advocate biblical feminity. I like how John Piper defines it:
3. Scripture tells us women of the Word will be wise, fearing the Lord, industrious, hard workers, strong, giving, nurturing, trusting in her God, dignified, praiseworthy, gentle, quiet, modest, self-controlled, woman of good works, submissive to her husband and those in authority over her (see above quote), reverent in behavior, not enslaved to much wine (or any other bondage to sin), teachers of what is good, training the younger to love their husbands. These are just some of the commands/descriptions of women – not to mention all the traits of any one who considers themselves to be lovers of God, bought by the blood of Jesus. (Prov 31, 1 Timothy, Titus 2)
When I think of Wonder Woman, I see a woman who is trying to be all things, take charge, not submissive, pleaser of self, helping others (of course, she is a superhero), someone ogled by men, not gentle or meek or quiet.
When allowing your sons and daughters (and yourselves) to watch/read things in culture – do you know what those people are trying to teach your children or you? I just read some Spurgeon this morning:
“Whether we teach young Christians truth or not, the devil will be sure to teach them error.”
As a married woman – the book I can recommend is Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney.
For a single woman (like me) – the books would be Girls Gone Wise by Mary Kassian or Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? by Carolyn McCulley.
For a mom of older daughters, the above mentioned Girls Gone Wise.
For a mom of younger daughters, Girl Talk by Mahaney and Whitacre (her daughter).
Atlanta has many nice and tasty restaurants, and even though I can’t speak for this one personally – if this girl is the dessert person – then it can’t be anything but delicious!
I made these and gave them out (and ate one or two, and stuck the end pieces in my freezer). First time I have gone to Caribou just for 2 shots of espresso.
I got 12-16 brownies out of a 9×13 pan (so these are big). And rich. And needs ice cream (or milk).
1 lb unsalted butter
20 oz semi-sweet chocolate (next time I would add in more dark)
1 cup flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 T vanilla
2 T espresso
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 heaping cup chopped walnuts
350, 9×13 pan lined with foil, sprayed with pam
Melt the butter and 20 oz of chocolate. Whisk together dry ingredients. Beat eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes until light in color and frothy in texture. Add vanilla and espresso. Mix in melted chocolate. Fold in chips and nuts.
One of my favorite types of books are biographies. John Piper does an excellent job in the Swans Are Not Silent series of combining autobiographical writings, biography, and application. The 5th book in the series, Filling up the Afflictions of Christ, is no different.He he highlights William Tyndale, John Paton, and Adoniram Judson. Judson was the one I was most familiar with because I did missions and college ministry at the Summit. You can’t be at the Summit for any amount of time and not know of Adoniram Judson. Tyndale and Paton were familiar – but didn’t know their story as much.
Here are some of the key things that I underlined:
I remember Bruce Ashford saying something like this in the first chapel message he preached (as a professor) at SEBTS: “What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ is not that they are deficient in worth, as though they could not sufficiently cover the sins of all who believe. What is lacking is that the infinitie value of Christ’s afflictions is not known and trusted in the world.” (22)
(Tyndale) “The key to spiritual achievement is to work hard, and to know and believe and be happy that God’s sovereign grace is the decisive cause of all the good that comes… That is they both believed in hard work to say things clearly and creatively and compellingly when they spoke for Christ.” (36-7). I need to remember this in my writing projects.
Most memorable John Paton quote: “I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the great day my resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our Risen Redeemer.” (58)
“Often since have I thought that the Lord stripped me thus bare of all these interests, that I might with undistracted mind devote my entire energy to the special work soon to be carved out for me, and of which at this moment neither I nor anyone had ever dreamed.” (75) May I live my life with this FOCUS.
How I need this: “(Paton’s Mother to her children) “Oh my children, love your Heavenly Father, tell Him in faith and prayer all your needs, and He will supply your wants so far as it shall be for your good and His glory.” This is what Paton trusted God for in claiming the promises: God would supply all his needs insofar as this would be for Paton’s good and for God’s glory.” (77)
When life is painful (Judson): “As with all events under God’s merficul providence, this painful circumstance had some remarkable positive effects.” (95)
Honestly, when I question, I always say this – because it is my firm foundation – the truth and character of God – whether I agree or understand it or not. “Adoniram had been sustained with hope and with a spirit deeply submissive to the providence of God.” (99)