Tweets of the Week

Posted on 24.Jan.10 by | Leave a comment

+ Tonight will probably be the only time I ever say the words of institution out loud in church. about 5 hours ago from web
+ Tonight’s reception reminded me of my longstanding desire to be a part of a culture with group dancing (e.g. Greek, Lebanese.) 11:51 PM Jan 23rd from Tweetie
+ Fresh air with k+l since school let out. Bikes, bubbles, chalk, friendly dogs. I even adjusted a bike. 5:06 PM Jan 21st from Tweetie
+ I have inherited a mangia mentality from my Italian gma: I show love through food & receive love when people enjoy it. 9:30 PM Jan 20th from Tweetie

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Posted in general

There is Love

Posted on 23.Jan.10 by | Leave a comment

Our friend Jon just posted a new song on his website. It’s beautiful and true.

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Posted in culture

Holiness in the Church

Posted on 22.Jan.10 by | Leave a comment

“Realized moral excellence does not necessarily constitute holiness and may contradict it. Holiness is visible as faith’s penitent cry for forgiveness and mercy, its appeal for God to do what the Church cannot do for itself, namely, to keep it without sin and to gather it into the company of the saint in glory.”

| JOHN WEBSTER, Holiness |

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Posted in theology

Chicken Lo Mein

Posted on 21.Jan.10 by | 2 comments

I am planning to post more recipes on the blog again, it’s the easiest way for me to keep track of and find recipes I like with my personal tweaks. One of my goals this year is to introduce the girls to more Asian food. We usually eat it and serve them something else. This was a successful first step, Kate ate all of hers, and Lexi ate a good bit as well. This is enough for 5-6 adults as a complete meal, more if you did a side salad, etc. But I wanted to make extra because I figured the leftovers would be awesome and they were.

CHICKEN LO MEIN
12 oz lo mein noodles (in the asian section of the grocery store, can also use linguine)
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 b/s chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
at least 1/2 large sweet onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3-4 carrots
1 cup snow peas
6-8 ounces mushrooms (of your choice)
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. oyster sauce (also found in the asian section)
2 Tbs. sesame oil Continue reading →

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Posted in feasting, recipes

Life is a Miracle by Wendell Berry

Posted on 20.Jan.10 by | 1 comment

Wendell Berry is a prophet for our time, and this is a great introduction to his non-fiction. Life is a Miracle describes how lack of connection to the community, over-specialization and lack of dialogue between the disciplines hurts everyday people, the land, and more. In his novels and essays, membership is a recurring theme. In Life is a Miracle, Berry asserts that true leadership is impossible without membership. The disconnect between leaders and policy-makers and the people they influence would be greatly diminished if there was membership as a basis for leadership instead of professionalism (career politicians, etc.) Though the book is structured as a response to another book, I did not feel like I needed to have read it to appreciate Life is a Miracle. (8.5/10)

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Posted in books, reviews

Some Thoughts on MLKjr Day

Posted on 19.Jan.10 by | 1 comment

We spent some time yesterday on youtube, watching “I Have a Dream” and the last speech from Memphis. We watched Walter Cronkite tell the nation about King’s death. And I found a neat roughly animated bit on the Children of Birmingham.

Talking to Kate about it was interesting. Trying to get her head around such hate was difficult. When the camera panned to the audience during I Have a Dream, she asked, “are those the Christians?” It was a reminder to me that God’s people will break her heart and disappoint her. Not sure how to prepare her for that but it’s something I will think about.

There is this part of the speech, “I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” Kate smiled at me when she heard it. She told me that was true at Cornerstone.

It’s not always easy to talk to kids about race, hate, prejudice, and injustice. I realized we need to be having more of these conversations.

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Posted in culture, family life

Some Thoughts from Rev. King

Posted on 18.Jan.10 by | 1 comment

On this day that we stop and remember a complex and human man, and the great injustice he fought, here are some words Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in his commencement address at Oberlin College, in June of 1965.

“All mankind is tied together; all life is interrelated, and we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be – this is the interrelated structure of reality. John Donne caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms: No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main… And then he goes on toward the end to say: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. And by believing this, by living out this fact, we will be able to remain awake through a great revolution. Continue reading →

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Posted in general

Albums That Shaped My Life [2]

Posted on 17.Jan.10 by | Leave a comment

Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams is an album for tortured souls. The year that I was the most angst ridden for no particular reason (let’s call it the college emo year), I played this album over and over again.

I was living with a girl who did not curse. Or like to hear cursing. A girl who enjoyed listening to K-Love. Whenever I wanted to be alone, all I had to do was start playing it and she would scatter.

Growing up a bit, I dropped my need to play “Come Pick Me Up” loudly. It’s still a good listen. Sometimes I even ache to hear “Oh My Sweet Carolina” with Emmylou Harris providing the sweet harmonies. And when I feel like harmonica (and I do, from time to time) this is one of my first choices. All the passion makes this album one that I will never forget.

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Posted in culture

101 Dalmatians / on Children’s Activities

Posted on 16.Jan.10 by | 6 comments

I took the girls and two of their friends to see 101 Dalmatians: The Musical this afternoon. It was a good introduction to musical theatre, the story was familiar enough to follow along and the production was whimsical and child-friendly. If we had paid for a babysitter to go see it as a date, I probably would have been disappointed. But, that wasn’t the case, and the kids all had a great time, so I enjoyed it as well.

Parenting is one big adventure of shaping your children’s views of the world, life and everything, and doing things like this makes me consider how much we are exposing them to the arts. It makes me understand how people can get sucked in to over-scheduling with activity after activity because if you neglect one, you might miss a great gift or not develop a passion. I think we can all see how an excess of pursuits can tax a family in many ways, and distort a child’s view of his own importance, but drawing the line between good and too much can’t be easy.

How do you find balance in your family? Is it dictated by time, cost, number of pursuits per child?

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Posted in culture, parental ponderings

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Posted on 15.Jan.10 by | Leave a comment

Things that are terrifying or filled with sadness are not necessarily without beauty. The Book Thief is a story that exemplifies that principle. The characters are real and complex and the plot is captivating. But more than that, it’s a book that shows the humanity of different individuals, while not shying away from the brutality of others.

Using Death as the narrator adds another dimension to the novel. Nothing is new to Death, and yet he is moved and intrigued by this story and shares it with us, showing us the complexity of humanity.

The Book Thief is the best contemporary young adult book I’ve read. I know some people feel it was wrongly marketed that way, but I think it fits the audience well, while not writing down to them. The voice and style are distinct enough to make it feel special, while the subject matter and characters are real enough to tell a great deal of truth about the human condition. It will be interesting to watch and see if it finds a place in school literature curricula. (9.5/10)

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Posted in books, reviews

Today is the Day

Posted on 14.Jan.10 by | 10 comments

The internets say its National Delurking Day. I’d love to know who is out there reading these days.

On deck for future posts:
A review of the Book Thief
Hippie Cookies and Other Adventures in Child Nutrition

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Posted in general

“i don’t have a choice but i still choose you”

Posted on 13.Jan.10 by | 1 comment

I caught the absolutely enchanting duo the Civil Wars live tonight. If you haven’t downloaded their FREE live cd, you ought to go do that, posthaste. You’re welcome.

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Posted in culture