Fonduing it up!

I think there's a new tradition starting up in my family's Christmas season - it involves a lot of food, a lot of grease, a lot of batter, a lot of time, and a lot of chatting and fun. It's an event, not just a meal...because it takes nearly 2 hours of cooking to get everyone fed. Last year was the first (Mike and I missed out because we spent Christmas in Ontario with his family) so this was the second time around but already Mom and Auntie seem to have it perfected to a "T." 

House Project : Christmas Edition

Are we spending time with family this break? Oh, yes, lots of time. Every day, in fact. What do we spend our time together doing? Construction, of course! Yes, that house project started way back there at the beginning of summer is still a very happening project, although it has come a long way over the months that we have been in Texas. We left with the roof just barely on and came back to painted walls and installed cabinets. But there is still much more to be done and that's what we've been busy at this past week.

Oreo Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a family favourite at just about any occasion...especially Christmas. So...in honour of Christmas and our Sunday School Christmas party I made...Cheesecake! And in spite of what most people think, it is extremely simple to make!

OREO CHEESECAKE

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CRUST:
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
  1TBSP granulated sugar

FILLING:
3 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 TBSP flour
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
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CRUST: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in crumbs and sugar. Press into bottom of ungreased 9 inch spring-form pan. Bake at 350 degree for 10 minutes.

FILLING: Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour in mixing bowl until blended.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until mixed. Add vanilla and sour cream. Mix. Pour mixture over crumbs.
  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until set. 

Decorate with Oreos.

(Serves 12)

 

*Thank you Mom for the recipe! :)

What is Enlightenment?

           This is an excerpt from the final section of one of Mike's final papers analyzing the Enlightenment period, and specifically Immanuel Kant's ideas in his paper "What is Enlightenment?" As I was editing the paper (one of my many helper-completer tasks :) I found it very...well...enlightening and so I thought I would share it.

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Enlightenment is, “man’s emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one’s own understanding without another’s guidance. This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in one’s own mind without another’s guidance.”                                                                            --- Immanuel Kant ----

....Cornelius Van Til, in reference to Kant’s supposed autonomy, says that "The very idea of Kant’s Copernican revolution was that the autonomous mind itself must assume the responsibility for making all factual differentiation and logical validation. To such a mind the God of Christianity cannot speak. Such a mind will hear no voice but its own. It is itself the light that lighteth every man that comes into the world. It is itself the sun; how can it receive light from without?"

             God never intended for man to be autonomous. Even from the beginning man was always to be dependent upon God’s revelation, both general as well as special. The Christian belief that God created the universe and all things suggests that there is a distinction between man and God and the realm of knowledge. God’s knowing is authoritative as well as exhaustive. It then follows that if man is to know anything it is that he is “thinking God’s thoughts after Him” (Prov 22:17-21). Christian philosophers do well to compare their theology to their philosophy in order to see that there would be no contradiction in its basic presuppositions.
            Often philosophers assume neutrality in teaching that human reason is an objective standard, free of prejudice. Christians are often told to lay aside their religious commitments in order to think objectively so that they might find truth. This also goes contrary to Christian philosophy; for if Christianity wishes to hold that God is indeed the Creator as well as the Sustainer of all things, it then follows that neutrality is impossible and that everything in creation, including all facts, must be related to Him in some way and express the meaning which He has infused in all of creation.  It is as Abraham Kuyper once said, “There is not an inch in the entire domain of...human life of which Christ, who is sovereign of all, does not proclaim ‘Mine.’”....

  
                            What then is true enlightenment? 
True enlightenment is not man coming to the understanding of the nature of reality through his own autonomous reasoning; instead, the Scriptures speak of light as a person. Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). Being enlightened is more the matter of one’s disposition toward Christ (Matt 6:22-23); one must receive the Light in order to be enlightened. The Scriptures refer to Christ as “the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” (John 1:9). They also speak of “all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge” as residing in Christ (Col 2:3). It is clear then that if one is to know the true nature of reality he must first submit himself to God, who knows all things. This is true enlightenment; anything else is darkness.

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"The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge: if God should have a reasonable defense for being the god who permits war, poverty and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that Man is on the Bench and God in the Dock."                                                      --- C. S. Lewis ---

Daniel & the Valley of Vision

Today's Word of Life QT in Daniel 4 reminded me again of the great paradoxes we find in the scripture as well as the blaring differences we find between the thinking of the world and the way God desires us to think. I went back to this prayer i found and was reminded of those things.

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee
in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold
thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley."

~ The Valley of Vision

And the Countdown to Christmas Begins!

 

 

----- Fort Worth, TX - Parade of Lights - Friday, November 25, 2011 -----

So Blessed, So Thankful

For the relationship we share with Christ, though Christ; for the relationship we share with each other; for our families; for health; for God's continual provision for Mike to attend school here at Southwestern; for our friends far away from us; for the friendships he's brought into our lives since we've moved to Texas - for all of these (and more) WE ARE THANKFUL!

Today, on this American Thanksgiving day, we were blessed and renewed in our thankfulness for the friendships that the Lord has brought into our lives. Jackson and Heather were one of the first couples we got to know after moving to Texas over a year ago; and, as we have spent time with them, we have come to appreciate their love for the Lord, their love for their family, and their love for people. Their hospitality has been extended to us on more than one occasion (which means so much when being so far from family and friends we've spent most of our lives with) and today they gave us a taste (literally :)) of their family's thanksgiving traditions. It was a blessing to spend the day with them and their sweet boys! And now we've officially experienced our first American Thanksgiving...duck, football, hockey, apple pie, and all! :)

The Silence of Heaven

     "I think there is nothing so startling in all the graces of God as His quietness. When men have raged untruths in His name, when they have used the assumed authority of the Son of God to put to death His real children, when they have with calloused heart twisted the Scriptures into fables and lies, when they have explained the order of His creation in unfounded theories while boasting the support of rational science, when they, using powers He grants them, claim universal autonomy and independence, He, this great silent God, says nothing! His tolerance and love for His creatures is such that, having spoken in Christ, in conscience, in code of law, He waits for men to leave off their bawling and turn for a moment to listen to His still, small voice of the Spirit. Now, after so long a time of restrained voice, bearing in Almighty meekness the blasphemies of His self destroying creatures, now, how shall it break upon the ears, the consciousness, hearts, and minds of reprobate men, the voice of One so long silent?
      "It shall thunder with the force of offended righteousness; rage with lightning bolts upon the seared consciences; roar as the long-crouched lion upon dallying prey; leap upon, better, destroy, and utterly consume the vain reasonings of proud humankind; ring as the battle shout of a strong, triumphant, victory-tasting warrior; strike terror and gravity to souls, more forcefully than tortured screams in the dead of night!
      "O God, what shall be the first tones of Your voice again on earth? And what their effect? Wonder and fear, denizens of dust, for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with battle-cry, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet blast of God Himself made more terrible, if that could be, by the long suffering of His silence."

---- Jim Elliot, November 29, 1949, in The Journals of Jim Elliot ----

In the meantime, Heaven is silent.

      "Yes, but it is not the silence of callous indifference or helpless weakness; it is the silence of a great sabbatic rest, the silence of a peace which is absolute and profound - a silence which is the public pledge and proof that the way is open for the guiltiest of mankind to draw near to God."

---- Sir Robert Anderson ----

"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him"

---- 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 ----

(As quoted by Elizabeth Elliot, in Secure in the Everlasting Arms, Pgs.28-30)

An Extra Dose of Fun

My family is all about surprises....One time my dad had me organize our Oregon Coast road trip just to distract me from the surprise Disneyland vacation they already had planned (I spent a lot of time researching places to stay and see when I found out it was only a decoy...but Disneyland sure was fun!). Another time, while Mike and I were dating long distance, I was sent out by my mom to take something to the garage freezer where I discovered Mike standing at the door. The surprises certainly make life interesting and add an extra dose of fun to my already very blessed life!

A couple weekends ago I had just gone back to sleep after dropping Mike off at the airport in the early hours of the morning (so he could go be with his family for his Grandmother's funeral), when my phone rang. "How would you like some company for the weekend? Mandy and Mitch have found a flight and are flying in tonight." How would I like company? Oh my, how I would like company! That morning they had randomly checked flights to Dallas, knowing I was home alone for the weekend, and had found a last-minute seat sale.

What an extra dose of fun for me! We had a wonderful weekend together, just the three of us, hanging out, shopping, eating at some Texas favourites, and exploring the city. (By the way, did you know that Fort Worth is the #1 tourist location right now in Texas? This we heard at the tourist information center.)

Hope in a Time of Grieving

A couple of weeks ago this wonderful lady (Mike's Grandma) went to be with the Lord. I smile when I imagine her walking and running (she hasn't been able to walk for over 10 years) and praising her Saviour!

"...we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep (have died), so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." 

---- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 ----

The above picture was taken just over a month ago when we were visiting Mike's family in Ontario - we are so thankful for those few days we were able to spend with her...not knowing that they would be our last together on this side of heaven.

Mike was blessed to be able to fly back home to be with his family during the weekend of the funeral. He said it was a very uplifting time as they celebrated her life and rested in the joy of knowing she is now with our Saviour.

(Pictures and obituary can be found here.)

Happy Reformation Day!

"Since then your serene majesty and your lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed. Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the Pope or in the councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves),

I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. 
I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand. May God help me. Amen."

----- Martin Luther -----

" 62. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God."

----- The 62nd of Luther's 95 Theses -----

The door of the Castle Church on which it is traditionally 

believed that Luther nailed his 95 Theses in 1517.

- Wittenberg, Germany - April 2009 -

The tower of the Castle Church. 

The words around the tower are Luther's from 

A Mighty Fortress is Our God.

- Wittenberg, Germany - April 2009 -

Sermon in Malachi: "Return to Me"

Today our Pastor, John Meador, started into a series on Malachi. I was encouraged and challenged by the "introduction sermon" he shared this morning as it brought a timely reminder to my life about the tendency to stray from true worship, the gracious love and rebuke of the Lord, what He requires in response to His Word, and the consequences of not returning to Him. 

If you have opportunity I encourage you to read through Malachi this next week (it's a short book - only 4 chapters). I have included below the sermon notes from this morning and the things which especially stood out to me as we looked at the over-all theme of this book. These are the last words spoken to Israel for 400 years. For 4 centuries, until the time of Christ, God's people didn't hear another word from Him. How important are these last words?!?!

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Background to the book of Malachi:

• Even after all the incredible things God has done for the nation there is an incredible indifference to Him on the part of the people.
• These are the last words spoken to Israel for 400 years, until John the Baptist comes on the scene. For 4 centuries, God's people didn't hear another word from Him! How important are these last words?!?!
• Malachi is God in quotes - it is Him speaking very directly to the nation of Israel.
• Malachi shows what God has to say about spiritual life, worship, relationship (Historic Israel becomes a picture for us today).

 Key Verse:

"From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?'"

----- Malachi 3:7-----

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God's Reminder Is..."I have loved you" (1:2)
     This is the foundation on which this book is written and upon which Israel's relationship with
               God exists.   
     He loves them with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3) - "everlasting" = eternal, unchanging
     Why this introduction?
               He wants them to know that the hard things He is about to say to them (His rebuke of
                       them) is encompassed by His love - this is the basis for His rebuke.
               In reality, they cannot experience this love of His fully unless they heed the hard things.

The Response Is...Indifference (1:6)
  God: "I have loved you."                                         Israel: "How have You loved us?" (1:2)
  God: "You have despised my name."                Israel: "How have we despised Your name?" (1:6)
  God: "You are presenting to me defiled food." Israel: "How have we defiled You?" (1:7)
  God: "I do not accept your offering."                    Israel: "For what reason?" (2:13-14)
  God: "You have wearied Me by your words."     Israel: "How have we wearied You?" (2:17)
  God: "You have robbed Me."                                 Israel: "How have we robbed You?" (3:8)
  God: "Your words have been arrogant."             Israel: "What have we spoken against You?" (3:13)
 
   God's rebuke is meant to humble the people and show them what to turn from in order to come
               back to Him.
   God knows when His people's heart is not really His - when they are just going through
                the motions. Israel questions whether God's judgement is true (forgot His
                omniscience and perfect ability to judge) demonstrating their indifference, but
                ultimately their pride in saying that they are more accurate evaluators than
               God, Himself.
                       "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."
    Israel: "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge..." (3:14)
          Why do we serve God? For what gain? For what purpose?
                The example of Job - will a man still serve God for nothing?
                Serving God isn't about our gain, it's about who He is.
    Our actions and passions reveal the reality of our love for God (what's in the heart eventually
                shows).

God's Continual Call Is..."Return to Me" (3:7)
      Israel: "How shall we return?" (3:7)
      2 Cron 2:14 - REPENT
      The tragedy of not heeding: We know from both Israel's response in this book and also
             from future historical records (particularly the New Testament) that Israel did not
             heed the Lord's warning. It was the descendants of the recipients of this book who
             rejected Christ. This was the ultimate tragedy of not heeding the rebuke of the Lord.

     Warning to us: If we do not heed the Words of the Lord, if we do not heed His discipline
             and rebuke, we risk the great tragedy of also missing the most important things.

"He has told you, O man, what is good;  

And what does the LORD require of you 

But to do justice, to love kindness, 

And to walk humbly with your God?" 

----- Micah 6:8 -----

"Return to Me, and I will return to you."

-----Malachi 3:7-----

  

Happy Anniversary to Us!

We celebrated the 2 year milestone with some Cajun food at Razzoo's in downtown Fort Worth. It is a restaurant that Mike spotted during one of our first times in the downtown area and he has been wanting to try it ever since. It took us nearly a year and a special occasion to finally do it! We didn't try any gator this time; we stuck with the shrimp, catfish, and a tilapia po' boy instead.  It was all very yummy!

Both of us are grateful for each and every day that the Lord gives us together. It is a blessing to be able to share life with someone, to learn from each other, and to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 3:18) together.

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And this [we] pray, that [our] love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment , so that [we] may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

-----Philippians 1: 9-11-----

Canadian Thanksgiving in Pictures

Short one wallet; short one jacket; and obviously, short a few marbles ;) we have just returned from a wonderful week home in Canada with Mike's family. The whole 10 days were wonderful but by far my favourite part was the final few - thanksgiving weekend - spent with my in-laws but also with my sister and cousin who are currently studying at Word of Life Bible Institute in Owen Sound, ON. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words so I think I've included about 21000 words worth below...because they are much better at capturing our time together than my babbling. :)

Thursday, October 6 - We met up with Sarah, Sophia, and Ryan who, along with Word of Life had spent the previous week doing Open Air Evangelism in Toronto and Hamilton. It was neat to watch them patiently and consistently share the Gospel with whoever the Lord brought past them on the street; it was neat to spend the day sharing alongside them.

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Friday, October 7 - We had an occasion to dress up. Sophia's graduation happened to be scheduled during that same weekend that we were there and so we got to share in the event with her. In honour of the occasion we went out for Lebanese food. Watching Ryan eat it was a highlight of the weekend! :) Another highlight is that between the times I last saw them, Sophia (sister-in-law) and Sarah (sister) have become very close friends - it was so fun talking, laughing, and hanging out with them together!

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Saturday, October 8 - While in Kitchener we HAD to introduce Sarah and Ryan to City Cafe, one of Mike's (and I think Sophia's too) favourite coffee shops/cafes. (I will second that they have about the best plain-old cup of coffee I've ever had and probably about the best homemade bagels too.) Following our breakfast stop we spent the morning at one of my most favourite places to visit every time we're in the area, the St. Jacob's Farmers Market.

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Saturday & Sunday, October 8-9 - We spent the weekend at their cottage on Lake Huron in Kincardine. It was a weekend full of too much food, long walks on the beach, watching sunsets, sitting by camp fires, and enjoying family.

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Witness to a Miracle

Several weeks ago a young woman walked into the pregnancy center that I volunteer at and her ID and form were handed to me to take on as my client. What made her different than any other client I had personally dealt with up until that point was that she had checked the "unsure" box answering the question of what she plans to do about her pregnancy. When checked it most often means that abortion holds a lot of sway as an option. It was a moment that I was reminded of my inadequacy as well as the great weight of the ministry of the center: it is a matter of life or death.

Scared, I went out to meet this young lady and led her back to a counselling room. What she wanted was something we couldn't offer: abortion referrals. What I could offer I was limited to give because we can only provide information and help so far as the client gives us permission, and that permission was not granted me. (Legally and to protect the organization from being shut down or slandered by those in opposition of it we are at liberty to share only that which the client gives us permission to share.) So our meeting was very methodical, me leaving out any religious opinions, as she requested as soon as we had sat down, and she being very closed to share much of what was going on in her heart and life. Our conversation remained at the surface, primarily focused on what the abortion procedures are and the risks involved, information that the majority of abortion clinics do not offer to their clients. At one point she broke down crying so I did see a little glimpse of the battle going on in her heart, but she told me she still didn't want to talk about it. Following the positive pregnancy test results I offered her a sonogram appointment which she reluctantly accepted but told me she probably wouldn't keep. I left that time with her feeling drained, discouraged, and pretty sure that I would never see this young girl again.

I continued to pray for this young girl over the next days, but with little expectation. We tried to contact her via phone several times but she never answered and never returned a call. A couple of weeks later her sonogram appointment came and went. I left the pregnancy center that day after my shift discouraged but honestly not very surprised.  But half an hour after I got home the client advocate director gave me a call saying that the nurse had managed to get ahold of this girl, found out that she had not yet had an abortion, but had been told by her that she could not talk at that moment and would give the center a call back. I continued to pray for her that evening, hopeful in the fact that she had not yet made an irreversible decision but still doubtful that she would give that promised return call.

I was scheduled to be back at the center that next morning and shortly after I walked in the door I was greeted with the excitement of some of the staff members who had just received a call from this girl. Together as a group of women we lifted the appointment scheduled for that afternoon to the Lord. I was afraid to hope in too much of a change of heart. I had seen the hardness of her heart firsthand, yet I knew the fact that she had not yet gone through with an abortion had to count for something or rather, Someone at work in those weeks since I had last seen her.

Sonograms are handled primarily by the nurse so I was not there for the initial part of their counselling session. I had asked if I could witness the sonogram, though, so I could at least try to touch base with this young lady again. When the nurse came to get me I was nervous but she was smiling. Upon entering the room I was shocked at the young woman I saw sitting before me. She looked so beautiful and so joyful! I would honestly have probably not recognized her had I not known going in that it was her. The nurse asked her if she felt comfortable sharing with me all that had gone on in the weeks since I had last seen her. With a huge smile on her face she told me about how a few days before she had gone to the abortion clinic for her scheduled appointment and upon arriving there she was told that the actually procedure could not be carried out for at least 24 hours following this initial visit (a new law that came into effect on October 1!). Her next appointment happened to be scheduled on the same day as the sonogram appointment we had scheduled for her and it was when she was on her way to the abortion clinic that the nurse had managed to get through to her on the phone. That was the evening before the very moment that we found ourselves in this room together. Many other things factored into this change of mind including her family, who are believers, finding out about her pregnancy; several friends who were standing against her in her decision to abort; as well as, I believe, the work of the Lord in her own heart because as far as we could tell she was a believer throughout all of this.

Out of all the sonograms I have witnessed this one by far was the most joyful and exciting, not just because I felt that way but because this young woman could almost not contain herself. She was laughing, nearly crying, and talking constantly and asking questions about the little baby she was seeing and little heartbeat within her that she was hearing. I'm humbled and amazed that I got to be a witness in this choice of life. I'm ashamed at my lack of faith in the power of the Lord who is at work both at the pregnancy center but also in each and every life that leaves our doors. I'm so thankful that He graciously let me watch His power at work, inspite of my own unbelief. It's not only that young girl who experienced change yesterday, but myself too!

Books & Coffee

Mike has been here...

What makes it more obvious: the books or the coffee cup?

Sunday Afternoon Picnic

It was a beautiful afternoon and I am so glad we had  an excuse to get out and enjoy some of it. After church we met up with Travis and Lydia and headed to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. These gardens are one of my favourite places in all of the city! And what better way to enjoy it than with a Sunday afternoon picnic with friends?

Travis and Lydia are friends of ours that we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know especially this semester. They are a couple who passionately love the Lord and love people and this they very contagiously spread on everyone they come in contact with. Although we see them most every day (or at least every other day :)) it was fun doing something besides sitting in separate corners of our tiny apartment studying and reading. Lydia was my partner in crime for making the picnic happen!

Saturday Morning...

flap jacks + coffee + friends 

= a good morning :)

Why does God not show himself?

"You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" 

--- Yehweh (Exodus 33:20) ---

'Why does God not show himself?' -

'Are you worthy?' - 

'Yes.' - 

'You are very presumptuous, and thus unworthy.' -

'No.' -

'Then you are just unworthy.' 

--- Blaise Pascal ---

"There once lived a people who believed that no man could see God and live. These were the wisest people on earth, not from themselves, but because God chose them...

It is God's mercy and kindness and love, as well as our sin, that hide his face from us."

--- Peter Kreeft ---

"Therefore, having been justfied by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him" ...

"Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may recieve mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

--- Romans 5:1,9, Hebrews 4:16 ---

(*Pascal and Kreeft quoted from Peter Kreeft's book, Chritianity for Modern Pagans, p. 253-54)

Tim Horton's fill-the-gap-er

Every true Canadian dearly misses at least one thing whenever they leave the country: Tim Horton's. (for our family & friends who are insulted by that statement, don't worry, you're on the "we miss list" right next to good ol' Timmy's ;)).

Well, like good Canadians, the other day Mike and I were bemoaning the fact that we must endure this crazy Texas heat without any access to a refreshing and so-delicious Tim Horton's Iced Capp. But the Lord has graciously seen fit to provide for us during this time in which we are outside of the great land flowing with maple syrup and iced capps :). Thanks to Suzanne who discovered and shared the wealth with us, today we enjoyed a Frozen Cappuccino from QT (Quick Tripp). While it is not quite on par with a Timmy's Iced Capp (impossible to match - its kinda like Texas and hockey...leave the ice to the Canadians), it was pretty yummy and it will definitely fill the gap.

Mike loves when I take pictures while he's trying to study - there's some good Canadian sarcasm for you ;)

P.S. If you non-Canadian's cannot understand the depth of our attachment to this place see the following link for greater insight as to the importance and to just how far the Canadians will go to ensure their daily cup of Timmy's: Tim Horton's in Afganistan.

A new venture...

I married the son of an Italian and little did I know but at that time I was also marrying myself to salami, olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, focaccia, pizza, pasta and everything and anything with a little garlic, basil, and parsley. Just a couple of weeks ago he told me that he probably wouldn't have married me if I didn't like balsamic vinegar (jokingly, of course ;)). When visiting Mike's family I often find myself amused by how much of the conversation can center around food; they know their food and they know how to cook it too (and it is delicious)! I thoroughly enjoy cooking for my husband and especially trying to make those things which he particularly loves, although he never complains no matter what I place on the table before him and very rarely leaves a meal without praising it and thanking me for making it (and even periodically joins in the fun of the preparation).

Well, my newest venture has a lot to do with my husband's love of food and has been something I have actually thought about trying to do for over a year now: growing some of my own herbs. Texas gets a lot of sun and our apartment has huge windows facing both east and west so it really is an ideal place and time to try it out. But I know nothing of it; well, nothing except what Google has told me. So hopefully I don't kill them before we can at least enjoy them a little.

Let me introduce you to parsley 1, parsley 2, and basil:

(...if I master these I just might try growing a salami tree - it would sure save us some money! ;)

Not as those without hope

"...that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope." 

--- 1 Thessalonians 4: 13---

 Yesterday I had a divine appointment with a book, a news station, and the Holy Spirit.

While waiting for some work to be done on our vehicle Mike and I were sitting in McDonald's reading and studying. I was working through Alva J. McClain's book The Greatness of the Kingdom and specifically, a chapter on the blessings of the coming kingdom. In the background and frequently distracting me from my reading was picture after picture after video footage after testimony recounting that tragic day that ten years ago shook up and impacted this country so deeply. As I continued reading in between watching I began to realize the stark contrast between the words on the pages of the book and the reality of the events that were being remembered and which are not too far back in my own memory either. In my own little world I realized that I was seeing

the depths of the depravity of man,
the deep mark and consequences of sin upon this world,
and the hopelessness and insecurity that people live in day after day
starkly contrasted with 
the greatness of the Messiah who willing took upon himself the depravity of man,
the One who is coming again to finally remove the effects of sin and to restore this creation to its former glory, and the security and hope that no circumstance of this world, not even death can take from me.

It was one of those moments where I realized anew that there is so much more to this life than this life alone and that I truly am not as one who is without hope! In this is a renewed thankfulness and a refreshed plea in my heart: "Come, Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20), please come quickly!

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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away..."Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new"...there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads..."And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

--- Revelation 21: 1, 3-5; 22: 3-4, 7 ---