One Big Happy Family, Texas - Style

There is a reason that there has been a lack of activity on this blog over the last month. We were invaded (in the very best sense of that term, of course). For 2 1/2 weeks we had the privilege of hosting family on the little corner of Texas that we call home. They came in waves: Sarah & Sophia first; Mom & Mandy a week later; and Dad & Mitch a day later.

We shopped; we rodeoed; we visited with friends; we explored the school campus & the popular sights of the city; we got stuck in traffic (too many times :/); we missed the train; and we ate a little bit of chicken-fried steak, some cajun, a whole lot of BBQ, some fresh salsa, and Tex-Mex too. (Notice the attention given to food in that list. Everything's bigger in Texas, including us, as Sophia put it (referring to all the eating we were doing).) We taught them how to say yee-haw and y'all and by the end I think we were plain ol' successful at tuckerin' them all out.

Reunion with the Thomas clan.

Birthday Boys!

Look!

One of the many turtles that entertained us for a good while.

Sophia took the entertainment to another level.

Texas Wildlife

Trying on a little bit of "cowgirl" @ Justin Boots. 

Fried Pickles @ Razoo's Cafe...fried everything down here!

Stockyards Rodeo

Main-street, Grapevine

"What will you trade me for this nickel I made into a cowboy hat?"

Happy family...even though we missed the "real" train...

Caught in the Act of Spring-ing

Every year budding trees seem to catch me by surprise...it almost seems to happen overnight. This time I think I caught one of the first trees on campus trying to break out into spring. :)

I was reminding Mike last night as we were eating dinner outside that this could possibly be the last February we will ever do this. It's probably the last February where we will witness trees budding too. But we'll enjoy it while we can! 

"The Unbearable Silence of God"

Hey Mandy, Mike & Josh - look what I just found! Mr. Rothko made it into the section titled "Negative Theology" in the book I am currently reading. After a personal opportunity to admire his paintings, I would not argue one bit with this classification! If only we would have had insight into Mr. Rothko prior to our vacation in Houston we wouldn't have driven in circles for so long just to find this chapel which the tour book made claim to be one of the "greatest artistic achievements of the second half of the twentieth century."  Apparently Mark Rothko "had the courage to paint almost nothing."

"The familiar identity of things has to be pulverized in order to destroy the finite associations with which our society increasingly enshrouds every aspect of our environment."

----- Mark Rothko -----
 

A Picture of Rothko Chapel in Nancy Pearcey's book, Saving Leonardo

Rothko & A Biblical Worldview of Art:

"What was Rothko saying with these dark panels? The person who commissioned the paintings said they express 'the silence of God, the unbearable silence of God.'

"After completing the panels, before the chapel even opened, Rothko committed suicide. An undefined 'mysticism with nobody there' is not enough. It does not fill the hunger in the human heart for connection with a personal God who knows and loves us.

"Rothko's work reveals the tragedy of the divided concept of truth. The things that give life its deepest meaning, that give us a purpose and reason for living, have all been placed in the upper story, where they are reduced to merely subjective experiences - private, non-rational, and ultimately unknowable. This is artistic alienation at its deepest and most painful. The Romantic hope that art could replace religion by giving meaning to life inspired incredible artistic creativity. But inevitably it failed. As art historian Robert Rosenblum writes, Rothko's 'passionate belief in art's magical power to save souls and to open transcendental vistas' not seems remote, its promise empty. All that is left is the unbearable silence of God.

"Clearly artists like Rothko were struggling with ideas that have life-and-death consequences - ideas they were willing to stake their lives on. We must never treat worldview analysis simply as a way to slap a label on a work of art and pigeonhole it into some neat schema. Historically, artists were not just making pretty pictures but were wrestling with profound questions about life - not through words but through color, texture, tone, and composition. Art is a visual language, and Christians have a responsibility to learn that language.

"All worldviews contain some grains of truth, simply because all people are made in God's image and live in God's world. Christians are called to identify what is good, and pour it into biblical wineskins (to adapt Jesus' metaphor). This explains why Christian artists are able to employ many of the same stylistic elements as secularist artists - taking what is true and pouring it into the much richer, fuller wineskin of a biblical worldview."

----- Nancy Pearcey in her book Saving Leonardo, pg. 205-206 -----

Discipleship through Writings

Elisabeth Elliott

When I think of the godly, older women who the Lord has used to disciple and impact my life incredibly, one of the most influential women I have never actually even met: Elisabeth Elliott. I read so many of her books, so many times through when I was in Jr & Sr. high school and was always impressed and challenged by her simple, godly wisdom as well as the testimonies of struggle and growth that accompanied her growth and study. It was her story (and that of her husband Jim Elliott, one of five missionaries killed in Ecuador in the 1950s) that deepened my desire to go into some sort of full-time  ministry. It was her writings that gave me a hunger to know God like she did. It was her books & story that had a profound impact on how I viewed dating and my relationship with Mike. She encouraged me, rebuked me, challenged me, and deepened my understanding of who God was and what a relationship with Him meant & looked like. I can't wait until heaven when I can share this with her & thank her!

I have recently picked up one of her books for the first time in probably 4 or 5 years: Secure in the Everlasting Arms. As I read through it again (for the sixth time because I think I read that particular one about 5 times in high school - this is saying something because I am not one normally attracted to re-reading books...I'm always to anxious to move onto a new one!), I was awakened to the memory of the impact that her writings have had on me and of how I really need to get back into that discipleship relationship with her & other godly, female authors. Going back to her wisdom reminded me of how in life, in relationships, and even in other study our "minds{can} be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." (2 Cor. 11: 3)

I am so thankful for the bridge that books give us into other people's life, worldviews, faith, and wisdom.  I am also thankful for my addiction to reading and really do pity those who do not enjoy it...you are missing out! This community, called the church, in which a believer's growth is to take place, is both expanded and made smaller through the writings of other believers. When you can't find an older, godly woman to disciple you in the place that you are at, let an older, godly woman disciple you through her writings!

Below is a list of some of books that I would recommend, however, this is not an exhaustive list of all her writings. There's more out there for me to yet delve into!

Biographical:
Through Gates of Splendor - biography of the 5 missionaries who were killed by Auca Indians
Shadow of the Almighty - biography on the life of her husband, Jim Elliot
These Strange Ashes - her struggles & growth through the first year as a missionary
A Chance to Die - biography on the life of Amy Carmichael

Relationships & Biblical Femininity:
Passion and Purity - Her dating story intermingled with wisdom from Scripture on relationship
Quest for Love - Collection of stories about dating & marriage & God's plan & involvement
Let Me Be a Woman - written for her daughter, teachings on Biblical womanhood

Devotional/Teaching:
Secure in the Everlasting Arms - Collection of reflections on life & a relationship with the Lord
The Music of His Promises - Collections from her own personal Quiet Times
Path of Loneliness - dealing with loneliness Biblically

For Young Kids:
The Fate of the Yellow Woodbee, written by Dave & Neta Jackson - a biography written as a story & based on the life of another one of the missionaries killed along with Jim Elliot - I think it was the first book that exposed me to that missionary story and eventually led me to an interest in the stories of Jim & Elisabeth Elliot.

A Belated Valentine's Day

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Tuesdays are busy ones around here for the both of us, so we celebrated our 3rd married Valentine's Day just a couple of days late. It was complete with homemade spaghetti, mini-cannolis, and Mr. and Mrs. Salt and Pepper shaker. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to share my love and my life with Mike!

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Tabbouleh Recipe

Tabbouleh (تبولة; also tabouleh or tab(b)ouli) is a Mediterranean-style salad that I tried it for the first time at a Lebanese restaurant in Ontario with Mike's family. I loved it so much that as soon as we got home I tried to figure out how to make it for myself...especially since I'm always looking for ways to use up the abundance of parsley from my little herb garden.  I have noticed that several recipes online call for cracked wheat and mint added to it as well, but this is my own rendition of the salad based on how we like it (and I'm pretty sure the one at the restaurant did not have cracked wheat in it).

It is extremely easy to make and is very healthy. Since I am not Lebanese, I don't know how authentic it really is but we sure enjoy it this way! It is best when eaten fresh; is great with pita chips, naan bread or pitas; and we usually add some hummus on the side. Think of it like salsa, Mediterranean style!

TABBOULEH RECIPE

1 - 1 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, pealed and diced

2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Toss together parsley, onion, tomatoes, cucumber.

Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste and toss together with vegetable mix. 

*There is a lot of give with all these ingredients. I just usually chop veggies, dump dressing ingredients, taste and then adjust to what I think it needs more of.

Naan Bread

Mike and I both love Naan bread..it just tends to be expensive enough that I usually avoid buying it, except on odd occasions. I thought about trying to make it on my own but in my imagination it seemed a little intimidating. A couple of weeks ago I finally mustered up the ambition to give it an attempt and to my surprise it was not only easy but we're addicted. The recipe hardly lasted us more than a week so this morning I whipped up another batch. I am really impressed with the recipe, it being the first one I tried. (I did make a few minor adjustments to suit my own preferences and past experiences with yeast doughs.)                                                                                                      

Check out the smile -That's one happy piece of naan - caught on camera by accident

Naan Bread Recipe
Makes about 14 pieces



3 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup better, melted
 

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (110-115 F). Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft, but firm dough. Kneed for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. 
2. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise. Let it rise about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume. 
3. Punch dough down and kneed in the minced garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of golf balls.
4. Roll into balls and place on a tray. Cover with towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat pan on medium-high heat. (These are ideally supposed to be done on a grill but I fried them in my panini pan and they turned out great...maybe in the summer I will try them on the grill.)
6. Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle (quite thin because they do puff up when they are fried). Very lightly brush one side with melted butter. Place buttered-side down on the heated pan, cook for about 2 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over, cooking until browned, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from from pan and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

(This recipe is adapted from an original which is found here.)

WHERE IT FITS ON THE MENU:

• Panini it - stuff it with all sorts of goodness
• Pizza it - use it as the base for pizza (we tried this and really liked it)
• Side it - use it as a side to pasta, curry dishes; or really, anything
• Dip it - in spinach dip, salsa, etc.

I froze 1/2 of the recipe after rolling it into balls and before letting it rise a second time. 

This way I will be able to pull out a few at time, thaw and let rise, and make it fresh for a meal or two in days to come.