Monday, January 24, 2011

decisions

How do you know when the right time is for something?

How do you know when to say goodbye, hello, or to let things go?

Life is hard. Decisions are hard. Sometimes it is easier to be passive and not make decisions. But sometimes being passive and taking a step back can be more damaging than actually stepping up and making a decision no matter how hard it might be.

What does God say about decisions?

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4.6-7

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3.5-6

"If you are looking for advice, stay away from fools."
Proverbs 14.7

Let God be your guide. Go to Him. Run to Him. Seek Him out always.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

lemons

Lemons are and interesting fruit. They are tart, but paired with sugar, or poultry or sliced and placed in a pitcher of water, they can taste different. I feel that life is like that sometimes, and we often hear the quote, "What do you do when life hands you lemons..."

What do you do? How do you respond when things get tart? How do you respond when life throws a curveball and hands you something tough, or unbearable? Do you face it head on? Do you push it under the rug? Do you shut down? Do you play the victim? Do you only think about yourself?

What does God call us to do?

Philippians 2:3-4 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

It's hard being humble. It is hard not to be selfish, conceited, and vain. The world tells us to think about ourselves all the time, and God tells us to think about others, even in times of distress or immense pain.

So I ask you, when life hands you a lemon, what are you going to do with it?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

soup soup soup

I made beef vegetable soup today with cornbread.

I love soup.

I can eat it any time of day.

Actually a little history on soup is that most places in the world usually have some type of soup, or soup broth for breakfast because it has most nutrients your body needs to start your day. A homeopathic doctor told me that.

Now it makes me want to eat soup more.

For the beef vegetable soup I first cooked 1/4 of white onion in equal parts olive oil and butter along with a little garlic salt. I usually use a clove of garlic but I got a little lazy. Then add your meat...chicken, beef, turkey, veal, duck, whatever you'd like. The only thing that changes is the broth flavor.

I used beef. I let it cook with the onions for about 10 minutes. I didn't let it cook all the way before I added the beef broth.
Let simmer while you cut your vegetables.

You can use any vegetable really, but I used carrots, celery, potato, and green beans. Cut them up and throw them in. you might need to add a little water to the broth and some spices when you add the veggies.

Let simmer for 1 hour, and tada! You just made delicious soup.

Recipe for Beef Vegetable soup:
1 package beef (I buy it already cut up)
1/4 of white onion
1/4 stick of butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and cut
3 handfuls of green beans cut in half
2 potatoes peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery cut
2 basil leaves cut up
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 can of beef broth
1 cup water

I will post a picture of the finished product. :)

Enjoy!
ps- for the cornbread I just used a box of jiffy cornbread mix. I usually add a little yogurt and a can of corn to the mix...but I didn't have those.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

last days

Tomorrow is a memorial service in remembrance of my grandfather, Jean. Below is his brief eulogy that I will be reading tomorrow afternoon:

"Before I start, some of the ideas in Grandpa’s eulogy is taken from Shauna Niequst’s book Bittersweet.

We all know how much Grandpa loved to tell stories. He loved telling stories more than listening to them. He loved sharing of his army days at Ft. Ruckert; the hundreds of cars he fixed, how they don’t make things like they use to, and of course stories that embarrassed Grandma. He was a man of many talents and hobbies, and could often be found in the garage fixing whatever gadget at that time. He didn’t always expect to be hugged or kissed when his grandkids left; but always grateful before we skipped out the door.

To me, Grandpa was a bittersweet man. His character depicted something broken, and something beautiful. I use the word bittersweet because it best describes the man that he was. He was full of depth, complexity, and courage. He was bitter because he made each of us in some way stronger, forced some of us to push through, and he showed most of us how to earn the lines on our faces and the calluses on our hands. He was sweet because he taught some of us the importance of providing for family, the smiles he threw our way, and lifelong marriage to our Grandma.

In some ways, Grandpa changed the way each of us live, and the way we all understand life. He showed us the good and the bad, the joy and sadness, and that hard work does pay off. His legacy left a lifetime of lessons learned, and different roads traveled. He showed each of us in some way the rawness of life and how to carry on in easy times, and in times of distress. I want to leave you with one thought: What can you take from this mans life, the bitter and the sweet and use it to stretch yourself in ways you never thought you could? "

You have to understand that my grandfather was not the nicest man that lived on this earth, and after writing his eulogy, it got me thinking about my own life. It makes me think how I want to remembered. I don't want my family to have a hard time coming up with good memories, my triumphs, favorite memories, and jokes of mine. I want them to rejoice in the life I lived, not be relieved that I am gone.

So, how do you want to be remembered? What are you doing with your one and only life? What would you change? How are you growing?

I challenge you to live a life of meaning, truth, joy, patience, and love.