Love Is A Verb

A Prayer by Thomas Merton

2012-01-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this

you will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Behind

2012-01-30T07:02:00.001-08:00

The story of my life. :)

Sorry guys. I've been doing a lot of work (for both church and work) and recovering from a few illnesses, so I apologize. I've got photos to put up and videos and blah blah blah.

Though I am helping out with another blog at the moment. It's the blog for our church's food ministries. We've lost two-thirds of our grant money and so we're trying to find ways to fundraise. Here's the start of our efforts:
http://adventlutheranchurchfoodministries.blogspot.com/

Thoughts For A Winter's Morning

2012-01-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

I have been lazy. Well, just when it comes to writing posts. I can't help it. It's been kind of a crazy week and the weekend will be just as crazy. Tax season has started and I'm on my own and I've got things to do and things I would like to do. But I thought that share some thoughts I had on the walk to the train today.

I wrote a post a long time ago about how I wanted to be me. But I've found that I try and talk about God the way other people do. I force it because I think that's what will make God happy. But if He loves me for me, then I'm sure that He doesn't - why would He want me to try and speak the way that others do? He didn't create me that way. He created me this way. So I'm going to try and talk about my Father in the way that I want, not the way I think others think I should talk about Him.

I also read a book about St. Therese of Lisieux. In the Catholic Church, she's known as the Little Flower and she believed in scattering life with flowers for Jesus. Her flowers were little acts of love because she knew that she would never be called to great acts - she considered herself a small child and looked to Jesus to carry her into heaven. She died at the age of 24, having spent most of her life in a convent.

So why do I bring her up? I have read a lot of things about being radical for God. If I were to be honest, I don't know what that means. Does it mean that I have to give up everything? Of the people I know who speak of being radical for God, some have left their homes and become missionaries, some have not. So obviously their definition of radical is different. What I have found is that I am not destined for great things or great successes in my life. I am but a small soul. All I can ask is to spread flower petals at the feet of Jesus and sing a joyful song while I do so, no matter what.

To sit by those who drive me crazy, to smile at those who have hurt me and to sprinkle love on everything I do, no matter how small. To come to Jesus empty-handed and to sing.

May you find your way to love today, in the way that is the most genuinely "you" and joyfully.

2012-01-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

This is my prayer. And my goal.

A Lesson I Must Learn

2012-01-12T06:10:00.001-08:00

There is something in humility that strangely exalts the heart.

~ St. Augustine of Hippo

Looking For Help In Africa

2012-01-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have only been to Africa once and it was to visit a friend. I met her when I decided to donate my wedding dress and it's been a wild ride since then. She and her husband run a charity in The Valley of 1,000 Hills in South Africa called Project O. They live by faith with their two children, Joe and Jesse.

One thing that they desperately need right now is a car. At the moment, Vashti can't get her kids to school, go to church or get to the store. But then there's something else...

This is Ronelle (with the smile). She lives at a homeless shelter. But homeless shelters in South Africa are different. You have to pay for them. She's been just scrapping by with her children, but she's extremely ill at the moment. Vashti thinks that she may have TB. What we do know is that she doesn't have a way to get to the hospital and she's terrified to go alone - Ronelle fears that social services will come and take her children away if she leaves them at the shelter.

Vashti's birthday is January 14th and I know that, more than anything, the best birthday gift for her would to be able to take Ronelle to the hospital so that her best friend would be all right.

If you could prayerfully consider donating, even $5 would help, please feel free to donate here. It should take you to a PayPal page. If you get an error message, please visit here and click on the "donate" button in the right hand corner.

We are a big human family and the body of Christ. I know that together we can change lives, one grace-filled step at a time.

2012-01-03T06:30:00.001-08:00

“The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul” -G.K.Chesterton

2012-01-01T19:29:00.001-08:00

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." --George Eliot, aka Mary Anne Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880)

Maids In Hong Kong

2011-12-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

This is the view out of my parents' kitchen window in Hong Kong. As I was washing the dishes, I looked out the window and saw an ama washing dishes a few apartments down across from me. In Hong Kong, house maids are called amas. They are normally Filipina and are married. They live with their employers and they get one day off a week - Sunday. Today. Christmas.

It's a small comfort for me that they get Christmas off, but why is this woman washing dishes with me? I keep wondering what she's thinking. Filipinos are mainly Roman Catholic, a legacy left by the Spanish. Does she miss her family today, back in the Philippines? Does she miss her children? When was the last time they saw her? Whose dishes is she washing and does she wish that she was washing her own?

I've been thinking about Jesus too. Jesus and this woman washing dishes across from me. A small baby who will one day pick up the scroll and declare good news for the poor and say that the fulfillment of the prophecy is at hand. What does this mean for her? What does it mean for us?

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor.

-Isaiah 61:1-3

A Christmas Prayer Request

2011-12-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

My friends just had their baby Lucas. The day before they brought him home, the doctor's found a heart defect. He was supposed to have heart surgery today, but now they have postponed the surgery because his kidneys are not working correctly. Surgery is now postponed until Monday. Could you please pray for him?

2011-12-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

Goals For 2012

2011-12-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I want to have resolutions - those are always so easily dismissed. But I do have goals. I have things that I would like to do in 2012 or start. Maybe.

Here are my goals for 2012:

1) Learn how to ride a motorcyle and get my motorcycle license.

2) Take ballroom dancing lessons with Steve.

3) Get better with Final Cut/Illustrator/Photoshop

4) Get back to El Salvador

(if I can. If I can't, send a pocket camera with the delegation and work on another video)

5) Learn Spanish

6) Donate my hair to Locks of Love and then shave it off again.

Do you have anything that you want to accomplish in the year 2012?

"Scientists In Japan" by Sara Groves

2011-12-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

I really like this song by Sara Groves and I think it's important to hear the reason she wrote it. It's very true - these things do effect us, whether or not we realize it.

You can download her song on iTunes or on her website. I've been thinking about life support and what that means (we drew up our wills about a year ago) and I think one of my favorite lines in the song is, "We're robbing from Peter to extend Paul's life, cause dying ain't no way to die."

Cookie Sale!

2011-12-11T17:52:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of things that I made and had help with for our cookie sale. All the proceeds from the cookie sale went to help our food ministries at Advent.

I would also like to point out that my husband made the Hannukah blue and white cake pops entirely by himself. He will claim that I tricked him into this. I did not.

Forever and ever! Amen

2011-12-07T09:52:00.001-08:00

I know. It's been awhile. There is so much to talk about! I just finished an amazing book about joy, humor and laughter in the spiritual life and would love to talk about it! But I've been sick and I've got a cookie decorating party tomorrow as well as giving a message about giving for our young adult service. I'd love to tell you what I'm hoping to give Jesus for Christmas, the countdown until I see my family for Christmas and all the Christmas cards that I SWEAR I might write. I could tell you how my boss might give me a promotion and what I want to accomplish in 2012! How I'm feeling like God doesn't just love me, but He LIKES me too! How music makes me want to dance and how I have one of the best husbands ever, even though I thought he was a stranger who came to murder me last night and I locked him out of the apartment. He got me a surprise Christmas tree! How it lifted my spirits. But instead, I'll leave you with a picture and with a song.

Hopefully, hopefully we can talk soon.

2011-12-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

Lord,
Thou knowest better than I myself
that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking
I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to
straighten out everybody’s affairs.

Make me thoughtful but not moody;
helpful but not bossy.

With my vast store of wisdom,
it seems a pity not to use it all;
but Thou knowest, Lord,
that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.

Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet, for a sour old person
is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people;
and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
Amen.

- – - prayer by St. Teresa of Avila

2011-11-28T08:07:00.001-08:00

The primary cause of unhappiness in the world today is … lack of faith.
- Carl Jung

Honor Your Mother And Father

2011-11-27T04:18:00.001-08:00

This has not been the best holiday ever. I know that there are some things that got blown out of proportion, the fact that my co-workers texted me in the middle of the holiday and I had to work with less than I normally have was not fun. I'm trying to be faithful and kind and I blew it the other night.

What does it mean to "honor your father and mother" when it's so hard to be here? Can you honor your father and mother from afar? Or does the thought of honoring someone mean being in their presence?

Lessons have been learned and I fear that the bad moments are outshining the good ones. How human is that?

I hope your holidays held mainly good moments and that you let the bad ones slip away. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look upon you with favor and give you and the whole world peace.

My El Salvador Video!

2011-11-13T12:41:00.001-08:00

Without further delay, here is the video I've been working on for El Salvador Sunday! Feel free to share and let me know if you have any questions!

2011-11-13T12:40:00.001-08:00

Jesus never admonished children to be more grown-up. He did, however, exhort grownups to become more like children. ~Wess Stafford

2011-11-11T13:39:00.001-08:00

Jesus taught us, saying: “Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not becondemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and there will be gifts foryou: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will bepoured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard usedfor you.”

Luke 6:36-38

I'm writing a message about giving for our December 1st service at our church's more young adult service and I thought this was perfect. I have so many thoughts in my head and I would love to put them down...but I have 75 cookies to bake for El Salvador Sunday and am hoping to make 25 dozen cookies to help our church fundraise for our food ministries because we've lost 2/3rds of our grants. So I'll be updating certain things, but know that I'm stalking all of you, you're just not hearing so much from me!

2011-11-07T12:40:00.001-08:00

Let us keep firm in the hope we profess, because the one who made the promise istrustworthy. Hebrews 10:23

2011-11-02T06:32:00.001-07:00

One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything every night before you go to bed.

~ Anon.

2011-10-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself.

~ Publilius Syrus

This is definitely something that I've been working on lately. I've had so many thoughts on things that I've wanted to talk about! Obedience! Love! But I've been busy. You know how it gets. I've been working on a video and learning so many new things and preparing for trips to Ohio and to Hong Kong and Kenya and hoping for a trip to El Salvador.

I've lived a lot of my life thus far not forgiving myself. I've forgiven people who really hurt me, but the person who hurts me the most is myself and that's also the person I find hardest to forgive. So I'm trying...trying to let go of things people have done to me and let go of overthinking the wrongs I've done to others. If they've forgiven me, why do I hold onto it?

So I'm working on letting go.

2011-10-18T05:55:00.001-07:00

It’s never too late — in fiction or in life — to revise.

~ Nancy Thayer

Learning And Loving

2011-10-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

I've been learning new things through work and I'm trying so hard to use them for our Salvadoran coffee hour, to show people what it's like in El Salvador and what our church does there. Though people talk about it, I think that videos and such really help. So I thought I'd show you a little preview. There will be audio and the first photo is not the one I'm using. Also, the quote is from the bishop and I had his name pop up, but it's not working at the moment. I need to edit the second part of the quote so you can see the girls eyes as well.

But here's what I'm working on!!

(P.S. Please pray for El Salvador and Guatemala [as well as Honduras and Mexico] during this time of great flooding. We know a family in Guatemala and we've met so many wonderful people in El Salvador.)

Thank You!

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who let me know of their opinion on the post below!

Funny thing, the quote that was chosen both by my blogging friends and by the "Walking With El Salvador" community on Facebook was the same quote I had chosen in the first place! I started to have doubts about the quote I picked and thought the second one might be better, but even a person who has been to El Salvador 14 times thought the first one was best.

So thank you! I appreciated your help :)

Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world
- Father Oscar Romero

A Quick Opinion Poll

2011-10-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

I have a quick question for everyone. A little background first.

I'm making a video for our El Salvador coffee hour. I want to open with a quote by Father Oscar Romero, a man much beloved in El Salvador for his heart for the poor and his willingness to live his life for God. Our mission trips to El Salvador are often about friendship and about walking with the church there and showing them they are not forgotten. I have about 5 quotes that I am looking at.

With that information, which quote do you think would best open the video?

1) Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world

2) ...the joy of sharing and the feeling that all are one's family does not pass away

3) Where there is "what is noble, what is good, what is right," there is God.

4) How do I treat the poor? ... The way you look at them is the way you look at God.

5) When we struggle for human rights...we are not departing from God's Promise.

If you want to vote, could you please leave a comment with the number you prefer in the comments section? Or, I can tell you that I'm leaning towards the second quote...do you think, knowing what I stated above about walking with El Salvador, do you think this quote is appropriate or inappropriate?

Thanks for your help!!

What Would You Like Done With Me?

2011-10-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts and she mentions Teresa of Avila and a poem that she wrote called, "Enjoy Me." So I Googled it and I found a poem that I feel sums up the longings of my soul. I thought I'd share it with you.

For you I live and come to be --
What would you like done with me?
Sovereign, awful majesty,
Knowing till eternity --
Goodness, gracious to my soul,
Highness, godhead, one and whole,
Look at this nonentity
Singing of her love for thee --
What would you like done with me?

I am yours, because you made me,
Yours, because you then redeemed me,
Yours, because you suffered for me,
Yours, because you clamored for me,
Yours, because you did not lose me,
What would you like done with me?

What commands then, good my lord,
By such a creature should be done?
Or what office have I won,
Being but a slave abhorred?
Can't you see me, my sweet one?
Me, my sweet one, can't you see
What would you like done with me?

Right here is my heart, you see,
Lo, I put it in your hand,
My body, soul, all I command,
My entrails and my loving thee.
Redeemer sweet who married me,
Since I gave my all for thee,
What would you like done with me?

Give me life or give me death.
Give me honor, give me shame,
War or peace, it's all the same.
Give me sickness, give me health.
Weakness, strength, I won't complain.
Come what may, I'll let it be.
What would you like done with me?

Give me wealth or poverty,
Give me rest, or anguish fell,
Give me sadness, give me glee,
Give me heaven, give me hell.
Light of life, pray hear me tell
How I surrendered all for thee.
What would you like done with me?

If you will, teach me to pray.
If not, give me aridity.
From all good things your praise I'll say --
Or else, give me sterility.
O thou sovereign majesty,
Peace I find alone in thee.
What would you like done with me?

Wisdom give me, if you will,
Or, if you choose, give ignorance.
Give me wealthy circumstance,
Or give me thirst and hunger still.
Give me shade or light until
I'm tossed about unceasingly.
What would you like done with me?

If you command, at rest I lie,
For your love's sake I'll idle be.
Or if my labor's your decree,
Working hard, I want to die.
Tell me, "Where and how and why?"
Sweetest love, I ask of thee.
What would you like done with me?

Give me Tabor or Calvary,
Desert or the fruitful earth.
Be I Job in his sad dearth
Or John at bosom sucking free.
Perhaps I'll flourish gracefully,
Or sterile stay, if such must be --
What would you like done with me?

Be I Joseph, cast in jail,
Or Joseph, lord of Egypt's shore,
Be I David, punished sore,
Or David, king whom all men hail.
Be I Jonah in the whale,
Or Jonah safe, miraculously
What would you like done with me?

Be I silent, be I speaking,
Bearing fruit or bearing naught,
Let the Law show forth my fault,
Or Gospel soothe, if such you're seeking.
Be I happy, or by pain caught,
I only live when I'm with thee!
What would you like done with me?

For you I live and came to be --
What would you like done with me?

Saint Teresa of Avila (Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada ) (1515 to 1582)
– translated from the Spanish by Alan D. Corré

Sabbath

2011-09-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy these past few weeks that I had a bit of a breakdown at the train station. So now, I'm trying to rest.

I wish I had a picture of the red wine chocolate cake to share, but I might still go out to the picnic that is later tonight. But here are some pictures of the food I made for our community lunch and the altar flowers I did for this Sunday's African celebration.

2011-09-20T07:27:00.001-07:00

I wish I knew who was singing this so I could download it on my iPod. It's absolutely stunning.

"Say A Prayer, Say A Prayer In The Night"

2011-09-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

For in truth, no one is really timid and weak who knowingly leans upon the assistance of God.

- Francis Xavier

If you remember or feel compelled, would you please say a prayer for me at 4pm (New York City time, 1pm West Coast time)? God knows my longing and I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you all for your love and kindness!!

Learning To Say Thank You

2011-09-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Funniest Gifs

My sister-in-law refuses to send thank you notes. She says that, if you're going to see the person every day, you don't need to send a note. I was raised that you sit down the DAY AFTER and you PERSONALIZE each one of those thank you cards, thankyouverymuch.

I will admit, I've gotten a bit lax at times, but I try my darndest to send out thank you notes. Hand written, so that the person knows that I took the time to think about them with each pen stroke.

Thank you notes to friends...to family...to God. That is one that I probably neglect the most.

So I would like to make today's thank you note.

Thank you, Father! Thank you for the good and bad, the happy and sad and:

1) For waking up
2) For sleeping in
3) For a great physical today
4) For being able to draw prayers on the doctor's paper on the bed
5) For a good lunch
6) For A lunch
7) For an unexpected phone call
8) For cleaning supplies that really work
9) For the kindness of a good friend
10) For recipes that I'm excited to make
11) For water, cold water
12) For a cat who drinks my water
13) For moments that are teaching me patience
14) For a husband who doesn't question that I NEED whipped cream vodka or supports me in moments that seem insane
15) For blood being drawn
16) For partial answers for beautiful friends, even though they are somewhat hard
17) For fully cooked potatoes
18) For random CDs in the mail
19) For hearing from Belinda
20) For bedtime stories
21) For Bible stories
22) For making stories every day

What are you feeling thankful for?

The 10th Anniversary

2011-09-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

The thing I remember most about 9/11 was the confusion. My father was in Japan on business. When could daddy come home? My Nana had left from the D.C. airport. Was she on one of those planes?

I remember sitting in English class in smalltown, Ohio and my classmate's mother told her to be careful. She was of Indian descent and her mother said, "Be careful. They won't know they difference, just the color of your skin."

But being in New York is a completely different story.

It's everywhere here. My husband and I can see the World Trade Center being built and on 9/11 we can see where the towers once stood.

When we go for a walk on the boardwalk near our apartment, we are greeted by a large piece of World Trade Center steel covered in rosaries, funeral cards, American flags. We take the World Trade Center PATH train to get to downtown Manhattan. Our church is full of people who lived through that day. The woman I once nannied for talked about how her life was covered in ash after that day, remembers nearly walking through the doors when the planes hit.

Now, it's not only the 10th year anniversary, but there is a credible threat, once again. It's the time of year when people feel uneasy here, when we have terrorist drills, when the AK-47's come out at the subway station and there are many more dogs.

We are somewhat fearful. It is scary to see those guns. Or to know that the tunnel you are about to drive through has been targeted by someone who does not care about who you are or who you love, but that you are American. I feel so conflicted about these things. Would these things still happen if we just got out of all these wars? Is there a way to love your neighbor when your neighbor will not listen? What does forgiveness mean in the face of undeniable tragedy?

I do not have any of the answers, that is for sure. But I pray for what Isaiah spoke of and what was summed up by Archbishop Romero:

We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of the sword, the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work.

A Pick-Me-Up

2011-09-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

Things are a bit complicated and that's fine. I'm still feeling joyful. But I'm remembering my husband and I singing this in the car while we were in Ohio and it makes me smile. So enjoy this song!

A Cross of Iron

2011-09-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of the Poverty and Justice Bible?

I really like it. I got it through World Vision and it was a great "purchase."

It has a section that discusses what the Bible says on certain things, like job wages, women and war.

The one on war has always got to me and I wanted to share a quote that is in that section. It's a line from President Eisenhower's "Cross of Iron" speech.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

I was thinking about this quote and about the crisis in the Horn of Africa. The WFP was reporting that Congress is looking to cut aid by 75% for food in areas of hunger. I know that many people have also read that the reason Somalia's famine is so bad is not just (or even mainly) because of lack of rain, but because of conflict, of militants who refuse to not only get help for their people, but who refuse to even admit that their people are hungry.

So what can we do? Well, I'm not sure. Other than prayer, I'm not sure. But we have hope - hope that God will save us, hope that hearts will turn and that someone, on either side of the world understands the implications of war. We can stand with the poor and whisper to those in power the needs of the world and hope that they hear.

If you would like to help those effected by war:
Collateral Repair Project - supporting Iraqi Refugees
SOA Watch - a group working to close the School of Americas that trains South Americans and is often tied to human rights abuses.

If you would like to help those devastated by famine:
World Vision
World Food Program

Come On, Irene

2011-08-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

Our apartment is under voluntary evacuation. They told us to put masking tape X's on the windows (you can kind of see them in the picture). If we could have, we would have driven to Pennsylvania to see my grandparents, but I have to work on Sunday and so we can't leave. We're moving Vindaloo, our cat, with us to a hotel in Manhattan for the next two nights.

If you could, please say a prayer for the East Coast, for those who have already been hit by Irene in both South Carolina, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.

One Year

2011-08-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

I think if I hadn't visited Save The Children, I wouldn't have realized that it's been a year since the floods in Pakistan.

Credit: Save The Children

A natural disaster that would have devestated more than 5 states has passed its one-year-anniversary with a whimper. With so many people affected, why has it been so easily forgotten?

I think we know. But if we are going to call ourselves Christians, we need to love and care for our enemies. If we are to call ourselves humanitarians, we need to remember the children, mothers, fathers who were harmed. If we are to say that we love the world, we must love ALL of it, not just the parts that are good to us. Not every person wants to hurt us, but there will be some who do. Should we allow many to suffer because of some?

I think we're asking that question now with the famine in the Horn of Africa. I think it makes it harder, but we shouldn't look at those suffering and say, "Well, you did it to yourselves so...too bad." It's easy to say that, but we just can't.

If you would like to know what Save The Children is doing in Pakistan, a link to their report is HERE.

Adopting An Elephant

2011-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Credit: The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

It was funny. If you believe in coincidence, I guess you could say it was that. My husband and I are going to Kenya next April for our anniversary. My friend, Hilary, posted an article about these cute baby elephants who got rain coats! As it turns out, my husband and I will be mere minutes away from that baby elephant orphanage while we're in Nairobi, Kenya.

I'll be the first to admit, while I care about animals, I have always preferred to help people first. I feel that most people are more willing to help animals. Someone said once that, in order of amount of donations, the order goes: Animals, Children, Art, Women and, lastly, Men. People see animals as wholly innocent - it is man who put them in this situation. So people donate, firstly, to animals. I don't always think this is right. But I would like to show you a fun way to help elephants and rhinos, if you so choose.

At The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, you can foster a baby elephant. If you go to their website, you an actually read through all the stories and find out which elephant tugs at your heart. You will receive your baby elephant's story, a certificate with a name and picture, a monthly watercolor painted by Angela Sheldrick who continues running the wildlife trust among a handful of other things. To help take care of a baby elephant, it's $50 A YEAR. $50 a year. It pays for formula and rescue and food among other things. If you would like more information on fostering an elephant, please feel free to visit The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and click on "Fostering." I mean, really, who can look at all those cute little elephants and not want to do SOMETHING?!

If you choose, there are still many people who are suffering in the Horn of Africa (Kenya included) that still need help. If you would like to help and are unsure of where, I know of a few good places!

MercyCorp

ELCA World Hunger

Save The Children
Compassion International

Book Review: Where Children Sleep

2011-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Credit: Amazon.com

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted a link on her Facebook about seeing into the lives of children and their bedrooms. She said it was, "eye-opening" and I clicked on it. It was eye-opening.

James Mollison's book "Where Children Sleep" is a journey from America to Japan to Kenya to Brazil, looking at the lives of children and, as he put it, what choices they have over possessions and their relationship to them.

I have to admit, it took me weeks to find this book. Though released in 2010, the story is being circulated a year later and I don't think the publisher was ready for it. I bought a copy for my sister-in-law and niece earlier, but had wanted my own copy. Thankfully, I was eventually able to find it.

The book is set up where each child gets two pages. On the left-hand side is the picture of the child in front of a white backdrop and their story is set in a paragraph underneath them. On the right page is the child's bedroom. After photos and stories of Israeli children are the stories of Palestinian children. After the photos from a New Jersey child's mansion is the bare, dirty mattress of a child who works in a granite quarry at the age of 8. It is stark and breath-taking.

Mollison comments in the introduction that he does not have any judgment, but wished to acknowledge his own amazing upbringing and to start a discussion about what we can do for, in my own words, "the least of these."

The book is moving in its simplicity and straightforwardness. The images are well done and beautiful. You want to reach into the pages and touch the little girl whose village will disown her because they believe the Devil has stolen her soul. You smile at the boy who wants to make marmalade for a living.

One of the reviews I read on Amazon.com said, referring to the book with her children: "They feel privileged when reading about the lives of many of of the children and are critical of the have-it-all children who are also pictured." While I think that it is good to share this book, I think we must also be careful. Because, in the end, WE are those "have-it-all" children when compared to many of the children in this book. I think it is important to see ourselves in those American children and see what we could do to help those who are hurting.

I would highly recommend this book, especially to those who wish to teach their children compassion. It is temporarily out of stock on Amazon (and really, everywhere else), but here's the LINK. You can order it now and they won't charge you until it's shipped.

What Would You Do?

2011-08-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Facebook is a great place for questions.

I love to ask random questions, but I always go back to one:

What if you money wasn't an object? What if you could spend your day doing what you loved and what would that look like?

Obviously, it's sometimes a pipe dream. If you need to pay for your house, if you have children, you can't just up and quit your job. But maybe we could take some of those thoughts and put them in place now, before we're too old, we're too busy - take a moment and appreciate the person beside us and realize that money really wasn't the object.

So, what would you do if money didn't matter? What would your life look like?

Song of the Day: Barenaked Ladies, "When I Fall"

2011-08-18T09:29:00.001-07:00

2011-08-17T10:24:00.001-07:00

Jesus taught us, saying: ‘But I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To anyone who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek as well; to anyone who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for property back from someone who takes it. Treat others as you would like people to treat you.’ Luke 6:27–31

2011-08-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

None us lives to herself, and none of us dies to herself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. - Romans 14:7-8

I find this thought very comforting. The funeral for the little girl was yesterday. There were so many people in our church that a handful of us had to stay downstairs in our basement and listen to the service over the speaker. It was beautiful to see how much support the family has received and I thought that our pastor said a lot of important things.

Do you have a Bible verse or a quote or a saying that means something to you and brings you comfort?

Prayer Request

2011-08-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Our church family has had some very sad news. A 5-year-old from our congregation passed away this weekend after an accident. If you could please keep the family in your prayers, it would be much appreciated.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see—
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

2011-08-05T06:24:00.001-07:00

God delays, but doesn’t forget.

~Spanish proverb

2011-08-03T08:03:00.001-07:00

Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself.

~Harriet Uts Nelson

Wedding Of Hope

2011-08-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

I know that I don't have a ton of followers on here and that's fine. I'll just share what I have with you guys and, if you feel so moved, you can share it and maybe some people will hear about it. And that would be awesome :)

So I have some friends who run a magazine and they interview people who are making a difference in their community. I read about a couple named Diamond and Michael who are having their wedding on September 10th, 2011 and the guests of honor will be homeless men and women from New York City.

Diamond spent time on the streets and met her husband at the Bowery Mission, a homeless shelter in downtown NYC and they will be married at the Bowery Mission!

Right now, Michael and Diamond are looking for donations to sponsor guests at their wedding. Even if you don't want to sponsor, you can still check out their photos and what they're doing.

Here's their website:
http://www.weddingofhope.com/

Developed-World Tantrums

2011-08-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Developed-World Tantrums

I do like this post, if you want to go read it. The Compassion response to "First World Problems" and "White Whine."

2011-07-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

There is sunshine in my soul today,
More glorious and bright
Than glows in any earthly sky,
For Jesus is my Light.

O there’s sunshine, blessèd sunshine,
When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul.

There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King,
And Jesus, listening, can hear
The songs I cannot sing.

O there’s sunshine, blessèd sunshine,
When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul.

There is springtime in my soul today,
For, when the Lord is near,
The dove of peace sings in my heart,
The flowers of grace appear.

O there’s sunshine, blessèd sunshine,
When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul.

There is gladness in my soul today,
And hope and praise and love,
For blessings which He gives me now,
For joys “laid up” above.

O there’s sunshine, blessèd sunshine,
When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
When Jesus shows His smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul.

2011-07-26T08:25:00.001-07:00

Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with others when they rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom. Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As scripture says: Vengeance is mine—I will pay them back, the Lord promises. And more: If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat, if thirsty, something to drink. By this you will be heaping red-hot coals on his head. Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good. Romans 12:14–21

2011-07-26T07:25:00.001-07:00

True worth is doing each day some little good, not dreaming of great things to do by and by.
~Anon.

Wedding Cake!

2011-07-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

I made a wedding cake this week and I thought I'd share some pictures here!

A Light In The Darkness

2011-07-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Serving food at Casa Esperanza in El Salvador. It's the Hope House in English and it's a homeless shelter/soup kitchen.

When we were in El Salvador, a lot of what we did was to visit what the Lutheran church is doing in that country. One of the places we visited was Casa Esperanza, also known as the Hope House. It's in a rough part of town and helps those who are homeless by giving them meals, medical care, teaching them skills and, when possible, giving them items to use for personal hygiene.

Maria Trinidad is a beautiful woman who has been through so much. Two of her children were murdered, as was her husband. Her husband and child were murdered by the government during the war and her one son was murdered by gangs about a year ago.

She runs Casa Esperanza and also works at Casa Concordia (where the missionaries stay) and IS. NOT. PAID. She is not paid for what she does running both houses (but this is a whole different blog post). With her at Casa Esperanza are two German missionaries. We sat down and spoke with them. All three spoke about the hardships of keeping Casa Esperanza open and of the help of the churches that we all come from.

Helmut, the name of the German missionary said to us, "I would rather light a candle than complain about the darkness."

We had devotionals in the evening and, one of the first nights, the power went out and we had our devotional by candle light. Our group decided to stick with the candles. After Casa Esperanza, one of our members was talking about how hard it would be to be here and he felt at a loss about what he could do to help.

I know that feeling too. How I feel like I should be there, how I feel that I am less loved because I live in America. All the thoughts that I know aren't true, but that find their way into my thoughts anyway.

I thought about it for a moment and said, "Maybe it's not our job to light another candle, but maybe it's our job to help make their candle brighter."

I often find myself trapped by the idea that I am not doing enough. In the end, none of us can ever do "enough." And we are not saved by that "enough" either. I always have liked the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus loved Zacchaeus where he was and when Zacchaeus said that he would give half of his money to the poor, Jesus didn't say, "Come on, you know you could do better." Jesus says that Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham.

We are one body in Christ and where would we be without all the parts? I often forget these things and I find myself panicking, thinking that I am not worthy or worthwhile. But generosity is a spiritual gift and that is something that I need to keep in mind. In this time and this place, it is not my job to light another candle, but it is my job - and my honor - to help make someone else's candle burn brighter.

The Universal Language - Live

2011-07-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Of course, there is always video of your most ridiculous moments. And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share?!

El Salvador In 60 Seconds

2011-07-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

On the last day of our trip to El Salvador, we went to the ocean to really think about what we had witnessed and to talk it through with everyone.

One of our co-leaders told us that, when most people ask us about our trip, they really just want to hear one to two minutes. So I wrote for one to two minutes...but then I realized that everyone was still writing, so I went back and wrote a second testimony. But I really liked the first one better, so I thought I'd share it with you.

El Salvador is like Iglesia El Rosario.

Here it is.

To the outsider, it is ugly, dirty and unwanted, especially since it is so close to the National Cathedral.

Here's the National Cathedral:

The National Cathedral is a clean building and it certainly looks like what a church should be, unlike the Iglesia El Rosario.

But if you decide to take a moment to step inside the Iglesia El Rosario, instead of just walking past, you will be amazed.

The inside is still rough and somewhat worn, but you will be surprised by the unexpected beauty and the faith found there.

It is unconventional. And many will judge it before the inside is ever seen. But those who have seen it know what they would have missed if they had chosen the National Cathedral instead.

The Universal Language

2011-07-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here's another post from El Salvador, while I'm in Hong Kong :)
__________________________________________________________________________________

Sure, I couldn´t entirely understand what they were saying, but actions (and hand motions) speak louder than words. And their laughter was contagious.

It was a pizza party for over 40 people and I was sitting at the end of the table with Caesar (our driver), his sisters Mari and Alba, his mother Marie Trinidad (an astounding woman) as well as Alex and Jeff from Lord of Life, Rosie and Sarah from Advent and a few children. Mari and Alba, to use a phrase, are hell on wheels and their mischeviousness is evident, even if you don´t speak Spanish. They were screaming down the table, breaking up conversations, trying to get Edwin - one of the teenagers here - to break dance. Edwin had turned them down multiple times and, in the spur of the moment, I volunteered with, ¨If he break dances, I´ll break dance.¨

Let´s take a minute and pause here. I am the whitest white girl you´ll ever meet. Though I did classical and broadway jazz for something like 8 years, the only grace I have is from God and it certainly doesn´t involve my feet. What I´m getting myself into, I´m not sure.

After a few minutes with Pastor Matias and Pastor Martina, our small group headed over to an area behind the Lutheran synod office where a boom box had been set up. Edwin sits with his beanie and one black glove - he is prepared for this. Rosie helps translate and I pump myself up. I tell her that I want him to go first because I´m going to make him look bad. It takes a few moments and he gets it. He looks so intense and it seems that he believes that I can actually break dance.

The music starts and he is KILLING it. I work for MTV and I often watch the shows and he could be on America´s Next Best Dance Crew. He´s doing flips and it´s impressive. He finishes and points for me to go. I bring out the attitude, because that´s about all I have and throw myself on the ground and flop around.

From what I´ve been told, Edwin´s face was priceless. There is video and I´m sure it will be shared at both of our congregations.

Then Julie was pulled up and then Bill and soon, we were all dancing. Not just the Americans, but also the Salvadorean children and the students that stay at Casa Concordia. Kelly learned to salsa. We found that Bill is a really good square dancer. Edwin astounded us with the meringue.

Salvadoreans are dancing with Americans. There is laughter. It no longer matters that we don´t speak the same language. What could be better than that?

Faithful

2011-07-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was in El Salvador this past week on a mission trip and I updated that blog with a few posts and I wanted to share them with you! So here's some of what I experienced in El Salvador
________________________________________________________________________________

Let us have faith;

all this will pass away

like a national nightmare,

and we shall awake to the Lord´s great feast,

Let us be filled with this hope.

- Monsignor Oscar Romero

October 15, 1978

Faithful.

When the Carmelite nun stood in front of the altar where Oscar Romero was murdered - or as the glittering letters beside the large crucifix said, "where...Oscar Romero offered his life to God" - and asked us for one word that described Father Romero, that was the first word to pop into my head. Faithful.

Faithful to a lot of things. Faithful to his people and, most importantly, faithful to God and His word. Faithful to the point of death.

The front of the chapel where he was murdered is covered in windows, where you can watch cars stream by. The nun told us about how Romero had received death threats. Descriptive death threats. Death threats for that day. She told us how, he probably watched as the car drove up and stopped at the door of the church, how Romero must have known what that car was there for. But he was faithful and as he had to have watched as the car window rolled down, Romero had to have known wwhat was to come next. And he remained faithful.

The nun turned to us and said that the word that we had thought about Monsignor Romero was something that was also inside of us. That the word we had imagined for this great martyr was also a seed contained inside of us.

As a delegation, we are faithful, probably more faithful than I first imagined. We sat down with a pastor from the Lutheran church and Bill (a member of our delegation) asked what our presence did for the Salvadorean church. He said we were angels and that we had listened to God´s call in our lives. We were faithful.

It has been a hard day. We have stared at bloodied clothing, cried over pictures of murdered men and women who suffered unspeakable torture and been humbled by the heart of a people who are bowed down so low. And I think, what can I contribute? With wounds so large, I stare and wonder, what can I do to heal them? And honestly, there is nothing I can do, except offer to walk with them and share in the horror that they felt they were alone in. You have to take each step in faith with the same faithfulness that Oscar Romero displayed in his life and his death.

I am no martyr, but I know that if I can keep the hope and the faith, like the Salvadoreans I have met, I can be assured of the Lord´s great feast, just like Romero was.

Enviado soy de Dios

2011-06-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

We sang this song in church on Sunday as a sending song for those of us who are going to El Salvador. My favorite part has been an answer to a question, I think, from people who haven't understood our faith: Why does God allow bad things in the world? The answer that this song gives is that the angels can't make the world a better place - only God's work through our hands can do that. The angels can't fix it without our willingness, to put away the greed and pain of this world.

Here's the song:

Spanish:
Enviado soy de Dios,
mi mano lista está
para construir con El
un mundo fraternal.
Los ángeles no son enviados a cambiar
im mundo de dolor por un mundo de paz.
Me ha tocao a mí hacerlo realidad;
a yúdame, Señor, a hacer tu voluntad.

English:
Sent out in Jesus' name,
our hands are ready now
to make the earth the place
in which the kingdom comes.
The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
into a world of love, of justice and of peace.
The task is ours to do, to set it really free.
O help us to obey, and carry out your will.

2011-06-20T06:18:00.001-07:00

Lord, you know how busy I must be this day. If I forget you, do not forget me.

~Jacob Astley

A Prayer Request: Being The Persistent Widow

2011-06-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? - Luke 18:7

I do have a prayer request, if you would be willing. And if you would be willing to share it all around. I have a friend and I'm going to call her MB. If you would like to know a little bit about her, she has a blog too!

MB and I, discussing the value of $100 shoe that's not FDA approved.

She's really sweet - she's married to my husband's best friend (friends since they were both in their mother's wombs! Seriously).

Womb Friends.

God knows her needs and wants and I would really appreciate if you could just say a general prayer for her. I'm working on being the persistent widow for her and I'm hoping that others would be willing to join in.

Thank you!!

A Few Photos From This Weekend

2011-06-14T07:40:00.001-07:00

My friend was confirmed this weekend and I went back to Ohio for it. We had a good time. So proud of her!!

2011-06-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

God said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12.9-10)

2011-06-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

44 sticks of butter.

34 egg whites.

12 cakes.

2 weeks.

Totally worth it!

Oscar Romero: Bishop of the Poor

2011-06-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

We must not seek the child Jesus in the pretty figures of our Christmas cribs. We must seek him among the undernourished children who have gone to bed at night with nothing to eat, among the poor newsboys who will sleep covered with newspapers in doorways. --Archbishop Oscar Romero, December 24, 1979

I'm headed to El Salvador soon, to be part of a delegation from the Lutheran Church in America to the Lutheran Church in El Salvador. I just found out that I'll be going to a Salvadorean wedding! Part of our mission is to come back with a project that my church (Advent Lutheran Church) can help with and partner with the church in El Salvador.

In preparation, we are being told to read up on Oscar Romero, a Catholic priest who was assassinated and who is considered one of the greatest martyrs of the 20th Century.

If you would like to know more about him, there's a really good article here. I think my husband and I are going to try and watch the movie Romero tonight.

First Dance Lindy Style!

2011-06-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

These are some friends of ours from church. You can actually hear our pastor in the background. Ha! This was the best first dance I've ever been witness to!

2011-06-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Maggie Doyne — Why the human family can do better from The Do Lectures on Vimeo.

To learn more about Maggie, click HERE.

2011-05-25T06:15:00.001-07:00

God is so close, in fact, that God even hears the desires of our hearts.
~St. Vincent Ferrer

2011-05-24T08:43:00.001-07:00

"Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others." - St. Augustine

Collateral Repair Project: Exploitation to Desperation

2011-05-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

Collateral Repair Project: Exploitation to Desperation

Please read the blog post above if you would like to know more about the Collateral Repair Project. At this moment, they are hoping to raise $1,000 in 10 days to help the many Iraqi families who have no food.

Here's what they had to say:
This is an emergency food drive with a small goal, to raise $1,000 in 10 days, so that we can provide “survival packages” to Iraqi refugee families who are hungry now.

If you would like to donate, please go here:
http://www.collateralrepairproject.org/donate
or join the event on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=228471023834569

Will you help?

Poverty Porn

2011-05-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Pray not for lighter burdens but for stronger backs.
~Theodore Roosevelt

Have you ever heard the term "poverty porn" before? I was reading an article and a woman said that she had made a documentary about, I believe, Tanzania. When she showed it at her church, her pastor was furious - these children were in GAP clothes! And they were smiling! He said that she was trying to scam them - obviously these children were fine. Of course, the clothes were donated from U.S. stores, but he saw what they were wearing and assumed that they were fine and, possibly, even lying.

I know this feeling though, even if it's shameful for me to admit it. When my husband and I went to South Africa, I remember sitting in a house that had a television and thinking, "They can't be that poor if they have a TV." But they have to, essentially, steal the electricity for it. And they can't feed themselves or their children.

I could imagine then the thought that, "If you can't feed your children, you shouldn't have a TV."

I've been reading a lot about Iraqi refugees and a group that helps them: Collateral Repair Project. One of the women who runs the group had posted on Facebook that a woman had given meat to some of the refugees. She asked vegetarians not to post on this. She also made this comment:

I have also had people tell me straight out that Iraqis "should not" be having more children while living in such circumstances and I cringe, thinking 'how dare we who have killed the children they had and destroyed the lives they had where they could easily afford to have as many children as they wanted, how dare we tell them now that they should not have children because they cannot afford them?'

And really, they're right.

I sit and talk with a woman who sits outside of a Starbucks in Manhattan. She has a home and she gets food stamps, but it's not enough to support her and her husband. So she sits out and begs. She hates it, but she can't make it through the month without doing it. They have a very well-kept dog. A woman today bent over and went to hand the woman $3 and then pulled her hand back and said, "Is that dog well-fed?" Others have yelled epithets at her when they see she has a cell phone. Her cell phone is part of the Assurance program, where people on food stamps and medicare can have a cell phone with 200 free minutes per month. When they see she has a cell phone, they swear at her and call her a liar.

It's easy to look at a person and tell them that they should pull themselves up from their boot straps or to think that they are not as bad off as they seem. A smiling child does not mean that child doesn't live in extreme poverty. The Old Testament tells us not to judge between a rich person and a poor person. Do not favor either, but love all people. I'm still working on it, but I'm hoping to work towards it.

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Luke 10:37

2011-05-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Life is short. Be swift to love! Make haste to be kind!" - Henri Amiel

I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately. I really do have things to say! But I'm trying to pray more and I've been getting into some books. So soon, I'll post pictures of creme brulee french toast and rainbow cake. But for now, you'll have to just listen to someone else's words.

2011-05-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

If you haven't any charity in your heart,
you have the worst kind of heart trouble.
~Bob Hope

I Don't Want To Rejoice

2011-05-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I'm having a hard time with the Osama bin Laden news. I went to bed super early last night, so I didn't even know that it had happened until early this morning. My friend had a status on Facebook that said, "I don't want to rejoice any person's death." I checked the news and saw the headline "Justice Is Done. Osama bin Laden is dead." And a picture of people cheering around the World Trade Center.

My first thought was that justice was done. But then I started to think about the American concept of justice and the Biblical concept of justice. What Osama bin Laden did was evil, but I still don't want to rejoice in his death. It is making me turn towards myself and see the sin I carry. It makes me want to make the world more beautiful with God's love.

So I'm going to try and pray for him. Love my enemy as best I can.

2011-04-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

Gracious God, when the economy is in disarray, when young people are fighting in faraway wars, when we argue over issues and refuse to listen to the other side, I ask that your grace enfold us. Move us from self-interest to compassion, from the need to be right to the place of doing right. Let the love that is at the foundation of creation spread out like roots, bringing life, healing and wholeness to places cracked and broken. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

A Few of Easter's Baked Goods

2011-04-25T20:04:00.001-07:00

2011-04-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.

~Pope John Paul II

What I've Learned

2011-04-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

So here we are at the end of Lent.

And my task for the day is to tell you what I've learned. I think that will be hard.

The Sunday before Ash Wednesday, our church passed out a small calendar. Across the top were the words, "God's Love Doesn't Just Add Up, It Multiplies."

With each Bible passage, there is an action, whether it is praying or donating or researching something.

So here is what I have learned:
That to "go and do likewise" does not always have to be with my hands, but also with my heart and my prayers. My prayers are just as important as my hands.

I can't save the world. It is God and God only who can change it. I am only a small part and, as the Sara Groves says, You are the sun and I am the moon and I am only a reflection.

________________________________________________________________________

So now, as I enter into Maundy Thursday, I want to savor it all. Both the sorrow at the death of Christ, but the joy in the resurrection. We cannot accept the glory without the tears. We cannot embrace the joy without the pain. That is what Easter is really about - the sorrow of our sins that put Christ on the cross as well as the joy of the Resurrection and our salvation.

Preparing For Easter

2011-04-18T20:04:00.001-07:00

2011-04-18T07:03:00.001-07:00

God dwells where we let Him in.
~Menachem Mendel

I have some photos for you guys. I'm just behind on posting. Sorry :)

Have a blessed Holy Week!

The Fast I Am Trying to Choose

2011-04-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

- Isaiah 58:6

Feed Homeless Teenagers

2011-04-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

So I decided to give it a try and see if you would like to help me feed homeless teens who come to Covenant House because they have nowhere else to go.

Here's my giving page. I was going to do a Chip-In, a somewhat easier way to see on the page what's going on. But, by doing a First Giving page, you receive the tax benefit if you donate instead of me (extra incentive) and it goes straight to Covenant House (for added trust-bonus)

If you would like to help me in my journey, please visit here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/danae-hudson/feed-homeless-teens

Feeding The Children

2011-04-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

“My parents said they don’t want me anymore. I spent a couple nights at a friend’s house, but they said they didn’t have room either.”
- Julie

Reading the stories on Covenant House's website always hurt. I don't know what it feels like to be unwanted and alone and I can't really imagine it either, if I'm being honest with myself.

I received a packet in the mail the other day from Covenant House. It was about food. You know how appropriate this is for me right now!

Covenant House feeds about 1,700 youth every day, in the hopes of keeping them away from the pimps, prostitutes and gangs who give them false hope.

It costs them $2,882 for EVERY dinner that they do. $2,882 EVERY DAY to feed these kids dinner.

And I really, REALLY want to donate. But it's $2,882. And I started to realize that I always want to do things by myself. That has always been my downfall. I can do it and I can do it by myself. This is very obviously not true.

So I guess I have a question: if I put up a chip-in, would you be willing to chip-in with me to help feed teenagers who have nowhere else to turn? And don't feel guilty. I would just like an honest answer. Thank you!

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:8 ESV

My Rice Month: What I've Learned

2011-04-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

It's kind of hard to think that I finished with my 30 days. I wasn't always perfect with it and, of course, I thought of all these really cool ways that I could have done my rice (Blue rice?! That would have been cool, right?)

But here's what I've learned from this:

1) Plain rice kind of sucks. There were days where I looked at my bowl of rice and pined for something else. That the thought of eating more plain rice made me sad and I couldn't imagine eating another bowl of it. What about all the people in the world who have no other options?

2) My concentration was almost nil for anything after just eating a bowl of rice. My headaches were almost immediate if I tried to do anything. How are children, who may have only a bowl of rice to eat, going to be able to accomplish anything?

3) I was hungry almost immediately after eating a bowl of rice. No turn around. For men and women who may have spent hours walking for water or who have spent their days toiling outdoors or children who have walked miles to and from school must feel this far more sharply then I do.

4) The food waste in America could change the lives of the hungry all over the world. Sure, we can't really send cooked food overseas, but we could be using that food to feed some of the 30 to 50 million Americans who are hungry today. Organizations like Rock and Wrap It Up! and City Harvest are helping to change the way we see food waste.

5) We must stand up for the destitute, the poor and the forgotten. God has constantly and continually called us to love the poor and to help the hungry. We must "let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:24)" Places like Bread for the World and ELCA World Hunger are trying to change the way we deal with hunger, whether it be lobbying our government on behalf of those who need justice or dealing with the problem directly.

If you would like more information about different organizations that I've found through my rice month, I'll list them for you below and what they do (all information comes from their websites):

ELCA World Hunger: ELCA World Hunger is a comprehensive and sustainable program that uses multiple strategies—relief, development, education, and advocacy—to address the root causes of hunger and poverty.

Bread For The World: Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

Kauzbots: Kauzbots robot toys are the perfect gift for anyone on your list who wants a cuddly gift or a thoughtful gift that supports causes in a unique way.

Feeding America: Feeding America food bank members help provide low - income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors.

Feed The Children: Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters.

Rock And Wrap It Up!: Rock and Wrap It Up! is an anti-poverty think tank. Using greening tactics, we recover food and other assets to agencies fighting poverty, increasing their operating budgets.

Day 29: O-H-I-Rice

2011-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

If I asked you what this shape was, could you guess?

What if I showed you this next?

My sister-in-law sent me this Ohio-shaped cookie cutter a little while ago and I remember when I opened the package, I could NOT think of what it was. My husband looked and me and pretty much just said, "SERIOUSLY?!" Yeah. We're both from Ohio.

Tomorrow is my 30th day...and my last. 30 days of rice dinners. Well, 28, in the end. It's like the February of rice dinners. I'll have to sum it all up tomorrow. I'll make it a good one, I swear.

_____________________________________________________________________________

I've been really interested in Rock And Wrap It Up! since I saw a report on them yesterday. Here's what they're all about:
The Rock and Wrap It Up! Program boxes up all prepared but untouched meals following rock concerts, sporting events and schools then delivers them to local food banks and charitable agencies. Rock and Wrap It Up! also collects and distributes toiletries and cleaning products from hotels, schools and other participating donors.
Since its inception in 1991, Rock and Wrap It Up has:

Donated to over 43,000 shelters and places of need
Collaborated with 60 sports franchises, 150 bands, and 200 schools
Collected more than 250 million pounds of food
Fed more than 500 million people

Our partnerships include 150 music bands, 60 Professional Sports Franchises including the entire National Hockey league, Colleges like Columbia, UCLA, Univ. of Florida, Hotel chains including Marriott, Grand Hyatt, Sheraton, Film and television producers NBC/Universal and HBO. We wrote and helped pass the Federal Food Donation Act which encourages all federal buildings to feed the poor and not put food into land fill.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Day ...?: Lazy, Lazy Rice

2011-04-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ugh! I don't know if lazy is right, but so SO busy. I've only skipped one other rice day, but I've been pretty regular. But half of my pictures are on one camera and half are on another and I've been baking and...those are all my excuses. I couldn't even be bothered to figure out how many days I've been doing this. But I'll let you in to what I've been up to this past week/weekend:

Bakesale For Japan in NYC! They raised over $4,300 in New York and, the tally isn't in yet, but they think it's over $100,000 nationally!

At church, testing the camera.

Watoto Children's Choir visited us from Uganda.

They were really good. I helped cook for them. Took me almost all of Saturday.

This is my tired rice...right before I realized that Vindaloo had projectile vomited across the couch.

My Easter bonnet cookies! I made fondant decorations for them. I'm going to make them for our Easter bakesale.

__________________________________________________________________________
Here's what I'm watching today!

Rock and Wrap It Up

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Day 24: No Rice Day

2011-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I did NOT eat rice yesterday. But I had a good reason.

In 2008, I passed out on the subway. It totally sucked. I ended up going to the hospital because I didn't know what was going on (my vision had gone white and it had never happened to me before and I was alone). I've gone to a couple different doctors. Blah blah blah (this part is boring), but I eventually got to a new cardiologist who ordered a tilt table test.

What is a tilt table test, you may ask? Well...it's kind of like it sounds. I got hooked up to an EKG or whatever and they monitored my blood pressure for awhile while I watched Judge Mathis. Then they take you to a room, strap you to a table and then put that table at a 75 degrees angle and pretty much stare at you for 20 minutes. The goal is to get you to pass out.

Oh yes. And, if I didn't pass out the first time, I would have had to do it again with a pill that would help me pass out. The goal is to see what's causing me to pass out.

The room was cold and they wrapped me up in warm blankets, which was great at first, but I get overheated really quickly. I didn't fully pass out, but I came as close to it as I've been since 2008. And it was 10x worse then what I did before! Plus, I had to fast all day (my test was at 3:15pm by the time they figured it all out) so that didn't help.

By the time I got out of the hospital, I went back to work (boo!!) and wasn't feeling that great and I ended up getting Chipotle for dinner.

Long story short, I'm justifying why I didn't eat my rice. I should have! Forgive me. And I'll be back on track tonight.

"To Act Justly"

2011-03-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

He has shown you, O mortal, 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.
-Micah 6:8

What is justice?

This is a question I've been mulling over.

There is a woman at our church who traveled to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to interview Iraqi refugees. Often, since Iraqis are obviously not citizens of these countries, they often cannot find jobs. They cling to television sets that they once had in Iraq to prove to people visiting that they did not always live in such desperate poverty. They cannot feed their children, they cannot pay rent, but they fear that they will be murdered if they go back home. The woman came back to the US and wrote a play called No Place Called Home. My husband and I went to see her perform it and it was amazing. Through the stories she told us, the Iraqis often did not sound bitter at America for the war, but many of them were waiting for America to help them go back to the homes they had lost. And many just asked one question: "Why?"

She suggested checking out the Collateral Repair Project. The Collateral Repair Project helps Iraqi refugees with a number of things from helping pay utilities, rent and for food when they can't get funding from UNCHR (The UN Refugee Agency), coats for children, teaching women trades so that they can support their family, English classes in case the family is given refugee status and can move as well as a number of other things.

This person suggested liking the Collateral Repair Project on Facebook.

This image was posted by the Collateral Repair Project on Facebook with this comment:

These children (above) were so hungry that they gobbled up the small bags of candy that were in the gift bags we gave them -- and then proceeded to eat the crayons and water colors that were also in the bags.

My heart broke when I read this. They ate paints because they were so hungry?

Some would say that our country is at war with theirs, that their countrymen has killed so many of our good sons and daughters. But should we punish these children for the sins of their fathers? Others would say, why should we feed and grow terrorists? Why should we care for those who will eventually kill us? But could changing their situation change the course of their lives and take away the reach of those extremists?

Do we have room for mercy in our justice? Is it justice for our when there are children who are suffering like this?

I find that I just keep bringing up more questions than answers. Maybe that's part of being human. I just know that no child should have to eat crayons to survive.

_________________________________________________________________

If you would like to visit the Collateral Repair Project, you can visit HERE.
If you would like to visit their blog (which has more information at the moment), you can visit HERE.
World Orphans is building a community center in Iraq. For more information, visit HERE.
If you would like to see No Place Called Home or learn more about the play, visit HERE.

Day 21: Cheating Rice

2011-03-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I did it. I TOTALLY did it. I ate my rice dinner, but afterwards, I sat with my husband and we ate some ice cream together. I don't see my husband often this time of year and it seemed like a good idea. It was a really GOOD idea. I hope that you'll forgive my indiscretion.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I think a lot of people know World Vision. Here's something about me: I love gift catalogs. Not like Sears, but I love catalogs where you can buy a lamb or buy an education. Save the Children has it. Mercy Corps has it. And World Vision has it to.

The image for the Horn of Africa food crisis, under the Hunger subject on their catalog really caught my attention.

Here's the video of World Vision's workers discussing the Horn of Africa food crisis:

Here's what the website says:

A severe drought and food crisis is threatening the lives of more than 7 million people — especially young children — in the Horn of Africa. Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia are the worst affected. World Vision is responding, and any donation you give today will multiply 6 times to provide emergency food and health care, and meet other urgent needs for children and families in the Horn of Africa.

6 times?! If you donate $10, you're giving $60 worth of food. I think that's amazing and it's very much needed.

If you would like to donate to help the Horn of Africa food crisis, please feel free to click HERE.

You can also give gifts where most needed and you can get some pretty cool stuff in the process. Here's what I'd like to do/get/give:

The Poverty & Justice Bible. It highlights over 2,000 verses in the Bible that are about poverty and justice. And here's what the website says:

With more than 2,000 verses on poverty and justice highlighted, this Bible enables its reader to more deeply understand God's heart toward the poor and marginalized.

If you would like to donate to where it's needed most and possibly get The Poverty & Justice Bible or something else like that, please click HERE.

Day 20: Creepy Rice

2011-03-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

I couldn't figure out the camera this morning and this is what I ended up with. My husband was playing with the camera and I didn't realize it.

I'm gonna be honest. I think about just eating rice and get a little bit sad. And I have had much, MUCH less energy because of it. Just because a kid has far more energy then I do doesn't mean that a kid doesn't need more than a bowl of rice.

I've also been having a hard time fighting off a cold I have. I've been noticing cravings too. Intense cravings. I was told once that when you have cravings, it normally means your body needs something. And I'm not talking like, chocolate cravings. I'm talking cravings of meat and seafood and things like that.

Dreaming of Rice

2011-03-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Aspire not to have more but to be more.
~Bishop Oscar Romero

I promise that I'm still eating my rice dinners. But last night...was the first time...that I forgot to take a picture. Well, I shouldn't say forgot. I should say that I was feeling slightly neurotic about my cake and just shoveled the food into my mouth. Not my shining hour.

I will admit, that I was trying to trust God last night, as my husband pulled out of the parking lot to take the cake to our church. I had to just let it go and I said, "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend this cake." Made it there safely and in one piece :)

I don't think I'll have a rice picture tonight either. I forgot that we're going to see Anything Goes. I just want to go home and crawl in bed! It'll be good though. I was in the musical when I was in high school and it'll be good to see it.

Last thing!
Anyone here live in NYC? Or Brooklyn? Or just want to visit the Brooklyn Flea?

I'm going to be contributing some Easter Bonnet shortbreads. I'm so excited! If you would like to donate to the effort in Japan, but can't buy a baked good, feel free to donate HERE. 100% of the funds will go to Peace Winds Japan, who is also the partner for Mercy Corps.

Day 15: Kitteh Rice

2011-03-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is our cat Vindaloo. She decided to help me with my rice picture.

As soon as I ate my rice today, I was hungry again. Vindaloo did not care for my rice. Though when Steve was eating his cheese and crackers, she was ALL over that.

I'm sorry this is quick. I was making fondant tonight and I'm a bit tired. I hope you're having a great evening!

Oh and please check out the post right below this one :)
_______________________________________________________________________________

Okay, I'm feeling a little bit better...like I'm getting back on the ball.

Since I've been doing so many bake sales and such (and staring at my sugar sacks), I found out about the Great American Bake Sale.

(Credit: The Great American Bake Sale)

The Great American Bake Sale happens around the country and normally happens between March and October. The money you raise goes to Share Our Strength (you may remember them from the Kauzbots post!)

If you would like more information on how to host a bake sale, please visit HERE.

The Block Family

2011-03-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

I know so many Block families! This one is down in Texas and is headed to Guatemala to minister to orphans.

Would you please consider partnering with this family as they partner with the Lord caring for the least of these?

Tax deductable giving can be made at:
Commission To Every Nation
Todd and Amy Block
P.O. Box 291307
Kerrville, TX 78029-1307

Online giving at : https://www.denarionline.com/DonorServices/TEMPLATEPAGE.ASPX?COMP_REF=_CTEN&CONTENT=MISSIONARY&MISSION_REF=2A5F80D300

Follow their story at http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/

Day 14: Dirty Rice

2011-03-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

Very dirty. I'm baking cake right now and those are most of my dirty dishes. MOST. Amazing, right?

Sorry about this weekend. I've been feeling a little gross lately. I'm feeling a bit better today, but I'm also a bit down. This is about the time of tax season where I start to get really tired of it. I know that we can plow through it and it will be okay.

Here are my pictures from this weekend:

How are you guys doing?

Rice Weekend

2011-03-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

I promise you that I did eat my rice this weekend and did take pictures, but there was some craziness and I haven't had a chance to post them. I'll try and post them tonight while I make some cake. :)

But I have a question for you. What would you do in these situations?

1) You're in the subway. There's a man sliding along the floor in front of a small convenience stand. He appears to grab something, but you can't see what. The man appears to be homeless.

OR

2) You are waiting to cross the street when you actually see a bicyclist hit a young woman. They both fall over. He picks up his bike and keeps going, pretending that it didn't happen. People start yelling at him, grab his bike and refuse to let him go until he goes to apologize to the girl since he didn't even help her up. He yells at the people holding him, telling them that they're hurting him and that he's going to be late to work. He finally goes back, but barely says anything to the girl he hit who has a split lip and scraped hands. Then, the mob mentality that has already taken over continues and people start yelling obscenities at him and tell him that they hop he gets hit by a car and dies.

On a lighter note: I'm hoping to be baking for the Bakesale for Japan that will be taking place across the country!

I'm hoping to make something like this:

(Credit: Bakerella)

Shortbread Easter bonnets!! That's my hope.

Bake Sale for Japan On April 2nd

2011-03-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this because of Bake It Pretty and partly because of my sister-in-law. Here's the original blog post if you'd like to get involved and it's nation-wide! All money will be donated to Peace Winds Japan, also the partner in Japan of Mercy Corps.

Where: Oakland--Pizzaiolo (5008 Telegraph Ave.)

Berkeley--Gioia Pizzeria (1586 Hopkins St.)

San Francisco (Mission)--Bi-Rite Market (3639 18th St.)

San Francisco (Fillmore)--SPQR (1911 Fillmore St.)

San Jose--Roy's Station (197 Jackson St.)

Marin--coming soon

Peninsula--coming soon

Napa/Sonoma--coming soon (email NapaBakesale@gmail.com)

Santa Cruz--Lulu's at the Octagon (at the Museum of Art and History--118 Cooper St.; email SantaCruzBakesale@gmail.com)

Los Angeles--Black Cat Bakery (519 S. Fairfax Ave.; email LosAngelesBakesale@gmail.com)

Portland, OR--coming soon

Boston, MA--coming soon (email BosBakesale@gmail.com)

Philadelphia, PA--South Street Philly Bagel (613 S. 3rd St.)

Seattle, WA--CakeSpy Shop (415 E. Pine St.)

NYC--coming soon (email NYCbakesale@gmail.com)

Austin, TX--AustinBakes

Salt Lake City, UT--coming soon

Maui, HI--coming soon

Sacramento, CA--coming soon

Sister bakesales: Akron Vegan Bakesale for Japan (Akron, OH)

Toronto Bakes for Japan (Toronto, ON)

When: Saturday, April 2nd from 10am-2pm

Who: Professional and amateur bakers, cooks, artists, artisans, and musicians coming together around food to make something BIG happen.

How: Want to help? We'll need bakers, artists, volunteers, and lots and lots of customers. Please send offers of help to bakesaleforjapan@gmail.com

Why: So we can donate BIG BUCKS to Peace Winds Japan and help our brothers and sisters over there in the best way we can. Stay tuned for details.

We will be folding 1,000 paper cranes to send to friends in Japan. Do you have origami paper to donate? Can you teach others how to fold cranes on the day of the sale? If so, send me an email.

Our long list of accomplished collaborators includes folks from:

Pizzaiolo
BiRite Market & Creamery
Gioia Pizzeria
A16 & SPQR
Chez Panisse
Peko-Peko
ClaireSquares
Tartine Bakery
Summer Kitchen Bakeshop
Starter Bakery
Bakers Dozen
Viola
Blossom Bluff Orchards
Tell Tale Preserve Company

...and so many more that I haven't had time to list. I will keep adding to this list later in the week!

Last year, we raised $23,000 at our Bakesale for Haiti. Can we double, triple, or quadruple that number this time?

If you'd like to offer a corporate sponsorship, match, or involve your organization, please email me atbakesaleforjapan@gmail.com.

Don't live in the Bay Area? Host your own Bakesale for Japan on April 2nd! Let's band together and take this thing national. Email me and I will get you set up.

Day 11: Leftover Rice

2011-03-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've really been slacking in the creativity department. Please have mercy on me. I'm taking a turn for the worse today.

So here's what I'm going to talk about today:

One of my Lenten studies is a calendar from ELCA World Hunger and it's 40 days of thinking, praying and doing. I really like it. Today was a "tell" day.

ELCA Global Barnyard is like Heifer International in that a certain donation can buy a certain farm animal to help a family in need. $10 buys 10 chicks that will help a family survive.

So the question today was:

What can you buy with $10?

I was thinking about it and I found a few thing online too.

I can buy a bottle of wine for $10.

Raspberries at my grocery store, at the moment are $3.99 a pint. I could buy 2 pints and have a few cents left over.

I love mangoes. Mangoes are 99 cents at our grocery store right now. I could buy 9 mangoes and still have money left over.

I could even buy a pair of shoes! And in this case, I could buy TWO pairs!

But then here's what else I could buy with $10.

$10 could feed 40 children.
$10 could ship quilts or health kits to a family of five who lost everything in an earthquake or flood.
$10 could provide a small grove of trees to protect the soil from erosion in Zambia.
$10 could provide enough maize, bean, and groundnut seeds for a Mozambiquan family to replant after floods.

I really enjoyed the reading for today too - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15:

Generosity Encouraged

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]
¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

_________________________________________________________________________________

I got an e-mail in my inbox today that said:

Dine at Thalassa & Fight Hunger

10% of your bill will be donated to the NYC Food Bank!

Anyone here live in or around NYC? If so, here's where it is: 179 Franklin Street in Tribeca

And then here's the website: http://www.thalassanyc.com/

Day 10: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My picture looks cute, right? Well, I need to come clean with you guys. So that's cilantro that is sprinkled on the clover and I went to eat it and almost threw up. It tasted like dirt. I tried to mix in some dressing and gagged again. I threw it out. I couldn't do it. So my husband and I went out and bought some Minute rice in the hopes that I can keep that down. I mixed most of the pre-made rice I had with some chicken and broccoli and figured that I can eat that for lunch.

What if I did have to eat it, even if it tasted like dirt? What if it WAS dirt that was mixed in there? Just a few of the questions that have been in my head today.

Have you ever heard of Homeboy Industries? I loved the book Tattoos on the Heart and got a chance to eat at tacos at their Homegirl Cafe. They share a thought of the day daily (duh) and I liked the one for today. So here you go:
Thought of the Day, from Mary Ellen Burton: Tipping her hat to the Irish legend of St. Patrick, even though there aren't a lot of Irish here Homeboy Industries! She asked us to think about the contradiction in St. Patrick's analogy of the shamrock; every person is incredibly unique, and yet there is a universal togetherness. We are all our very singular leaves, yet we belong together as one shamrock.

She also shared a quote by her friend, Sister Peg Dolan: "Each person alive is a word spoken by God only once." This, Mary Ellen said, is true, we are all a stamp of our own upon the earth, but inside of each of us is the same tangle of beauty and fear and wonderful things, and we would do well to remember that as much as we are unique, we are all made of the same stuff.

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I know I said no more about food waste, but I thought this was awesome. I'm part of the Lutheran church and have been doing a Lenten study entitled "God's Math Doesn't Just Add Up, It Multiplies." It often has me looking at the ELCA World Hunger organization and what they're doing in the U.S. and around the world. Here's a story from their website in the Domestic Hunger Grants Section:

Senior Gleaners of San Diego County
Gleaners Relief
ESCONDIDO, CA

“I put in a lot of heavy hours, so some days I can hardly walk,” says Ann Evans (pictured left, wearing a hat), a retired Associate in Ministry who volunteers at Senior Gleaners of San Diego County. “But I forget about my pain when I see the excitement of the volunteers and the people [we] help.”
Senior Gleaners of San Diego County was organized in 1992 to tap into the skills of senior volunteers (age 55 and over) in gleaning excess food that would otherwise be destroyed—food found in area fields, grocery stores, and packing sheds. The collected food is then distributed to 45 food-giving agencies in San Diego County, which in turn make the food and fresh produce available to people living in poverty.
Ann, a member of Ascension Lutheran Church in San Diego, is a volunteer coordinator for the South County portion of Senior Gleaners. She supervises 55 volunteers on a daily basis and has been involved in the program since its beginning. Most Gleaners work once a week for about four hours, but Ann is the exception, usually putting in a seven-day week despite arthritis. “My doctor says I should quit,” Ann confesses, “but God lets me do it!”
In 2006, more than 5,500 clients (from babies to senior citizens) were served by Senior Gleaners. The 65 senior volunteers worked for 10,000 hours to collect and distribute nearly 500,000 pounds of food.
ELCA World Hunger—through the domestic hunger grants program—recently awarded a grant to Senior Gleaners to fight hunger in the United States. The domestic hunger grants program is one primary way your gifts impact people who are hungry in the United States.

—Material for this story was contributed by M. Laurel Gray,
President of Senior Gleaners of San Diego County

If you would like to read the story on the website, you can just click HERE.
If you would like to donate to the ELCA to help fight hunger in the US and around the world, please feel free to visit HERE.

Day 9: Lazy Rice

2011-03-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Faces like this are why my husband married me.

I'm feeling lazy today. And uncreative. So you get the picture above. I'll try and be more creative soon...maybe.

rant:
I was watching TV yesterday when I was home sick and I noticed that there were more than 2 more commercials used the word "deserved." And they used it in a very specific way: "get what you deserve." And they weren't just those lawyer commercials either. Where you've already won your settlement and you deserve your money right now. It was also a life insurance commercial and I'm pretty sure a car commercial.

So I looked up the definition at dictionary.com:

–verb (used with object)

to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward,assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities,or situation: to deserve exile; to deserve charity; atheory that deserves consideration.

–verb (used without object)

to be worthy of, qualified for, or have a claim to reward,punishment, recompense, etc.: to reward him as hedeserves; an idea deserving of study.

Here's what I find interesting - the origin:
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English deserven < Anglo-French, Old Frenchdeservir, Latin dēservīre to devote oneself to the service of,equivalent to dē- de- + servīre to serve

But when I hear the word "deserve" now, it sounds greedy. It's not always, but to me, it sounds greedy. But it used to mean to serve! To devote oneself! How interesting. When did the origin of the word change?
/rant

All right. You didn't come here for lesson in words and word meanings. Also, there was no moral to that story, was there? Oh well.

It's day 9 and I'm just realizing how bland rice is. I dump salt on this stuff, but it is still so bland. Is it bad that all I want right now is a big steak?
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Here's possibly one of my last things on food waste, this one specifically about lunchrooms:

An article from the Chicago Tribune commented on food waste in elementary schools, where one Chicago school threw away "334 pounds of uneaten whole food in a single day."

Seven Generations Ahead, an organization that is doing audits of waste in school lunch rooms and helping give solutions, gave reports:

The Tribune obtained the detailed results of another recent audit that tallied nearly 60 pounds of unopened discarded food. That included 66 oranges, 49 bananas, 21 cartons of milk, 25 unopened juices, 25 boxes of corn flakes, 34 containers of peas and carrots, 15 plastic-covered containers of ravioli and more. The slices of whole-wheat bread handed out with lunch turned into a whopping 26 pounds of wasted food.

Many of the things that are thrown out are perfectly usable, but the public schools worry mainly about the liability issue.

If you would like to visit Seven Generations Ahead, feel free to click HERE.
If you would like to read the full article from the Chicago Tribune, please click HERE.

Day 8: Sick Rice

2011-03-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

I think my rice and I are feeling about the same. I've spent most of my day on the couch drinking orange juice (my husband is always quick to point out the ounces and time...so YES, I have drank 89 fluid ounces of orange juice in less than 24 hours) and watching the Investigation Discovery channel. I'm a true crime nut. Once the crappy shows come on, I turn on either the Food Network or Spongebob Squarepants.

Best story about my love of Spongebob: I was at our Common Ground church service (which is normally a younger crowd on Thursday nights) and I was talking with someone who works as a nanny and we were discussing Spongebob. A girl was standing there and she said, "I didn't know you had kids!" I said, "I don't...I just really like Spongebob." The look on her face was priceless.

But that's all I got today. Hopefully I can be more pithy and intelligent tomorrow.
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Here's what I've got today. How food waste hurts your wallet and the environment (because we need EVERY reason it's bad and we already know that it's effects others):