I gotsum squash

It may not be a big deal to all you good people, but i am loving the whole process: watching the seeds i planted in june grow up to be grown up plants... and they aren't dead yet - AND in fact I am seeing some real deal veggies in my garden now!

Keep it simple

My dad in conversation would at times use that military saying: K.I.S.S. : Keep it simple stupid. I was thinking of that this morning, when i was reading my D. Bonhoeffer devotional:

It is not Christ who has to justify himself before the world by acknowledging the values of justice, truth, and freedom. Instead, it is these values that find themselves in need of justification, and their justification is Jesus Christ alone. It is not a "Christian culture" that still has to make the name of Jesus Christ acceptable to the world; instead, the crucified Christ has become the refuge, justification, protection, and claim for these highter values and their defenders who have been made to suffer. It is with Christ, persecuted and suffering together with his church-community, that justice, truth, humanity, and freedom seek refuge. It is the Christ who is unable to find shelter in the world, who is the sheter to whom one flees for protection; only thus is the full breadth of Christ's power revealed.

I am not in the habit of listening to classical music, but the last two days, I have been listening to Handel's Messiah. Get this: Handel wrote it in 24 days!! Can you imagine?

I have two favorite sections: One, the chorus section named, "Lift up your heads", where the chorus is singing the Psalm, "Lift up you gates, so the King of Glory can come in. Who is the King of Glory? He is the Lord of Hosts!!!"

The second is a movement entitled "For unto us a child is born", singing the scripture of Isaiah: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the Government shall be upon His shoulders. And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

You may wonder why I am linking Bonhoeffer and Handel together this morning. I think in these two artistic expressions, I loved the simplicity of resting all focus on Jesus Himself. In our world, where self help books, the likes of "Your best life now", busy schedules, the worries of the world, our search for Him through intellectualism, trying to understand the innerworking of ourselves and everything else.... All of the mess that we fill our lives with.... That perhaps for a moment I would not focus on how He has blessed us, or how He has not blessed us...

But simply that He is. And He is worthy.

Bread inspires me

Ode to Bread

Sourdough, Buttermilk, and more
You are the food group of which I exalt and adore
If only your carb grams equated to three grams or four

I would not be eating cow meat in your stead...

Adkins instructs sadly that I cannot eat you
He says the hardest is the first week or two
But I’m thinking one more day and I’m through

I need another serving of red meat like I need a hole in my head…

Six degrees of separation

My world on the internet (via this blog) feels at times a parallel universe from my real time world, but it seems that they do collide. i am suprised at how many people i know in one circle, in some way, form or fashion, know friends from another circle but for some reason i was completely unaware. Small world.

All you bloggers out there that i have referenced on my site, all you readers and posters out there. Houston friends and beyond. I wish we could all live in a big coldesac and have dinner on a Sunday evening sometime. That would be lovely.

For right now though, my blog will have to do.

Little Miss Sunshine

Today i went to the movies with new friend Abby (lover of Sufjian Stevens, Russian literature, and Trader Joes) and saw Little Miss Sunshine. Now, let me just add a disclaimer: Bad language is thrown about it in this movie. I don't want people to tell me i led them astray because they were offended by the movie. You've been officially warned.

If you can get over that, i think you will like it, in fact you might be like me and laugh out loud from time to time. It's like Chevy Chase's Vacation meets The Royal Tenenbaums. More than that though, some of the elements in the movie reminded of road trips in the past. Here are my top three most memorable road trips:

1. Trip with Kelli my roomate from college: Drove thru Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, Canada (New Brunswick), and Prince Edward Island. Kel's favorite part of the trip: seeing the house where they filmed Anne of Green Gables. Jen's favorite part: The old cemetaries in Boston. Least favorite part: driving in Boston, i got cussed out the whole time, despite trying to get out of there as fast as i could.

2. Trip with my father from Houston to D.C. this past May: Most memorable part: We broke down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My dad was so great about it from start to finish. He was so exhausted after traveling from Phoenix to come get me but didn't complain once. The trip ended with a hug from my dad and him handing over a special gift: a GINORMOUS mace canister that i can hang on my key chain. Love is driving your only daughter 1400 miles in a very sketchy car and hooking her up with a big can of mace.

3. Trip with my friend Tony and his dad to go hiking in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Colorado. On that trip I learned why he loves the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, and William Blake, among other things. We had set up camp in Mt. Blanco, and i remember getting out of my tent at about 2 am in the 20 degree weather and gazing up at the sky that was absolutely luminous with stars. Favorite part of the trip: taking naps in my tent and listening to the river below us....

Matt and Christy Rasch and the young'ins

Tuesday night I drove to Baltimore, because some friends, Matt and Christy were in town to visit parents. They now have three...count'em three ankle biters, one of whom was born just a few months ago. The oldest, Eliza is about four, Sophie is almost two and Josiah, the baby is three months.




Is it not surreal to see your friends' children strongly resemble their parents??? Eliza is her father. I'm not kidding. She is strong, incredibly honest and bold, and really funny. We were eating dinner and Christy complimented me on my hair. "Nuh uh!!" Eliza proclaimed, "i don't like it!."



Sophie reminds me a great deal of Christy. She is charming in a quiet way, and is her own person. She is a cuddler too which i like alot. We watched blues clues together and i got a few seconds of video. All i wanted the kid to say was hi, but you know that was not going to happen.

Sophie Take One

Sophie Take Two



Matt and Christy are now missionaries in Budapest, Hungary. They been an encouragement to me over the years. Matt and I were talking about how we both have changed alot since knowing each other in Houston. How am i different? Holy Cow, let me just count the ways. All that to say people like Matt and Christy were part of the catalyst in my life for those changes, and I'm real glad I know them.

The "S" Word: Do we just live with it, or is it a good place to live???

The man looked down at me from where I was sitting at the lunch table, or rather he was carefully studying my left ring finger which indeed, has no ring on it. He suggested a huge church in Virginia, where there were a lot of singles. “Uh huh.” I replied. This man just came into our office and descended upon me and my chicken salad and started giving me advice in an indirect way about finding a husband.

Oh and this is not the first time in the last few months a conversation like this has occurred.

I was on the phone at work with a man who does ministry all over the world, and I wanted to partner with him on a project we are working on in North Africa. In our conversation there was mention of travels to North Africa in September. “Are you single??????” he asked, almost in a gasp. “In fact, I am,” I replied. He then asks me how old I am and in his most loving fatherly way mentioned that he will be praying for me.

For goodness gracious sakes.

Well, that’s a good thing, because I am sure that God is totally unaware of this fact and He is now scrambling around heaven trying desperately to figure how to “fix me”. We can all relax, because God has officially now been notified.

I have never written about this subject before on my blog, and don’t get used to it, because I probably will not again. I don’t think I have even written about it privately in great abundance. But it seems to be a hot topic lately, especially when people are talking to me.

So here goes. Singleness: Do we just live with it, or is it a good place to live?

I believe that God knows what He is doing. More than that, I believe He is confident that He is doing a bang up job with things, including how my life is turning out. So, I’m doing my best in not always questioning Him on why He has chosen a different path for me, when the majority of my friends are married and are on their second or dare I say it third kid.

Our nature wants to compare, and I see my friends and I wonder if and when I will get to that stage in life. Maybe never. There is a part of me that considers the idea of never having a family. Yeah, my heart hurts a bit at the thought of not having children, but then I also see all the incredible opportunities I have experienced that would not have happened if I was having to think of someone else.

I spent the first year of this century in Southern China. I have had some of the greatest people around as roommates, and have learned amazing things from each one of them. I have taken more walks with God down Wilton street in Houston than anyone should ever have the privilege of experiencing. When I lived by myself in a small, yellow garage apartment near Rice U, my time with the Lord was so rich, that I couldn’t wait to get off work so I could go home and just hang out. I would never trade those years. Not for all the tea in China or a guy that closely resembles Joaquin Phoenix. Nope, sorry not even for Joaquin Phoenix.

To live is Christ is it not? My life is not my own. My desire is to live in my own skin, in whatever circumstance He sends my way and embody the fullest joy possible. I am definitely not saying I am always successful. I am also not saying that I do not desire marriage, because I certainly do. But I love my life right now, and I do not want to have the perspective of "surviving" the seasons of singleness like it was a disease that someday if I’m real good I will be cured…

Today this is what He has for me, and today it is a good place to live.