Trust

Hey all, Meggie Here from Dreaming of Avonlea. I had already begun thinking of this post when Lady Weaver asked me to write for her. So of course I said yes! You'll have to forgive any choppiness, or errors, I haven't written in so long, it's a little hard to get back in the groove. So Until Next time!

God Bless!
Meggie


Trust

OH! it's an ominous word these days. It's word we hear daily, and with it always comes an incling of doubt.

"Trust me! This is the best product on the market!"

But what if it isn't?

"Put Your trust in 'Local Bank!' If you do you can't go wrong!"
But how do you know? The economy's pretty bad right now...

"Trust me, Babe, I would never hurt you! I Love you!"

But what if he's wrong?

You see? That word is used so liberally by the liars and schemers of the world that it has fair lost its meaning. Most of us, if we are smart, have come to the realization that we can't trust anybody anymore. Sometimes we can't even trust our pastors, our friends, and heaven forbid, even our parents.
As we go through the world we have learned to fend for ourselves. We are wary of everything and everyone, just to make sure we don't end up hurt or in trouble.

But where does that leave God? Stuck out in the rain?

We have become so self reliant that even trusting God is hard.

Do you remember the "Trust test" we used to do in school? Someone stood behind you and caught you as you fell. It was great so long as your best buddy was behind you. Not to mention it helped if your friend was the bodybuilder of the group.

Well God is our body builder. You remember that "Atlas" guy from Greek Mythology? You know, the one who held up the world? Well, God created the world, and holds it up, and the universe, and heaven, all on his pinky finger. Atlas Ain't got nothing on our God.

So why can't we trust him?

We've gone through our whole life being prepared for the day when we would be on our own. Our own Council, our own Law and Conscience, Our own MAN. But God Never meant for us to be alone. Stand up on our own for too long and we'll wear out. Someday we will get old, and tired, and we'll fall, and fall hard.

But Just as we begin to sink, God is there holding out His hands to catch us. And if he can hold all creation up with his pinky finger, how strong do you think His hands are? Not to mention His comforting arm when we do fall. Can you imagine how easy life would be if we just laid back and let God carry us in those strong ams? We'd never have to worry about finances again, Or health, or people, He'd just do everything.

Did you know that that's possible? The more we learn about Christ, the more we can be like Him. And when we act like him, and talk to him, and continue to learn, we begin to understand what he wants us to do. Whether it be in finances, Relationships, or health, we CAN let him lead the way. And no matter what hardships we face, we'll always know we'll end up in the right place by and by.

So why not let go for once? Just Fall.

And Trust.

Far Into The East: Intro

When my group returned from our short mission trip in China, we were asked if we wanted to submit a trip testimony for the missionary's blog (found here). The following is what I submitted:

“How was China?”

Since returning home, I’ve heard this question many times. Even though it is the simplest of questions, it has been one of the hardest for me to answer. How do you summarize a two week, life-changing trip? As I thought about China, I realized what had impacted me most.

It wasn’t the food.

It wasn’t the Great Wall, Tienamen Square, or the Dragon Tower.

It wasn’t even the surprisingly eventful fourteen hour layover in the Tianjin airport.

What impacted me the most were the Chinese people.

One morning, after we arrived in Harbin, I was reading in Mark 6, “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them…” I don’t know how many times I’ve skimmed this verse and never comprehended its meaning. Being in China shed new light on it.

One of the men from our group made the remark, “You know, in DC you can go from a crowded area to somewhere quiet, but here… you just move from one crowd to the next.” Everyday we spent the majority of our time with people – students from the university, children from the church’s apartment complex, and leaders from Omega. We passed out tracks and flyers, shared our testimonies one-on-one, and helped put on a VBS. The only alone time we had was in the shower.

Our visit to the Je Li Buddhist Temple also helped bring Mark 6:34 into perspective. That particular morning, our group had been singing hymns and passing out gospel tracts on the steps to the temple. As we entered, I was stunned. Going from worshiping the only true God to watching ritualistic obeisance to false idols was sobering. As we walked along, we grew quieter. At one point, we were stopped and motioned to the side as a long line of monks – men, women, and children wholly dedicated to Buddhism – passed us while chanting. In that moment, I understood.

“…and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”

I was watching a literal march to Hell.

There I stood, crying, weak, and insufficient. These people had dedicated their life to finding truth and enlightenment and I, a daughter of the Truth and the Light, could not tell them where to find it.

It has been two weeks since I “saw” China. God is still teaching me lessons from my trip. It was difficult to leave knowing that there is work to be done for God. But I am thankful. The trip gave me a greater appreciation for freedom to share Christ in the US. It helped me understand that this world is not my true home, heaven is. And most of all, it opened my eyes and gave me a compassion and desire to see, not just China, but the whole world reached with the Truth and the Light of the Gospel.

So the next time someone asks me, “How was China?”, I will answer with this: it was something that you need to see for yourself.

(Original Source)

If you want to read the rest of the groups' testimonies, you can find them under the "Testimony" tag. I'll be updating more often with the start of school, and will be starting a few series. This post will be the first of my series about my journey in China.

What about you all? I would love to hear about your experiences from your own mission trips.

Mr Milquetoast

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan told about a friend of his and his wife’s who was a very brilliant woman. She had a strong personality, was an outstanding person, and was not married. He asked her one day the pointed question, “Why have you never married?” Her answer was, “I have never found a man who could master me.” So she never married. May I say that until a woman finds that man, she would make a mistake to get married. If she marries a Mr. Milquetoast, she will be in trouble from that day on.

I thought that this quote was too good not to pass along - as it is the reason I have passed up potential suitors.

I also believe that it has provided a good word of the day: Milquetoast - a very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated.

Chinaaaaaaaaaahhhh

It's been a while since I've updated! I need to be more faithful at posting.... I'm making some layout changes (along with a "China-fied" header) and will be putting up some new posts shortly.

the new header for my other blog Filia Pacem

In the meanwhile, please swing by The Empowered Traditionalist where blogger Christa Taylor is giving away a copy of Uncompromising - Hannah Farver's new book (Click here to read the first 22 pages!).

Here's the giveaway. It ends TODAY!: http://www.empoweredtraditionalist.com/2011/06/30/giveaway-uncompromising-hannah-farver/#comments

Also, for those who don't know - I am headed TO CHINA!!! In about three weeks I will be on my way to spend some time with missionaries in the northern city of Harbin. I can't wait to bring back pictures and stories to post for you :)

Wait For You

I'm not a huge fan of lyrical poetry but this girl put a whole lot of thought and a whole lot of Bible into a single truth.

*Snap Snap*



My favorite line:

I will no longer get weighted down by so called "friends and family talks" about the concern for my biological clock when I serve the Author of Time - who is not subject to time but I am subject to Him.

What do you ladies think?

Icing, like love, covers a multitude of sins.

It's been three months since my last post, oh my! I'm sorry my chickadees!

Recently my church celebrated their 5th year anniversary complete with a chili cook off and a baking battle! I, not owning a single chili recipe to my name, decided to enter into my forte - baking; and I won!

I (Coffee Buttercream Crumb Cake), Shurama (Peruvian Flan), and Kristen (Chocolate Torte)

I agonized over what to pick, but I finally found a winner (literally!). My entry?

Coffee Buttercream Crumb Cake with Chocolate Ganache

I forgot to take a picture of mine, but it looked nearly identical to this version. Picture from DessertGirl.

Chocolate Cake:

The secret to a super moist cake? Sour cream. I didn't have much so I substituted part of it with vanilla yogurt. I then decreased the amount of vanilla extract I put in the batter.

3/4 c. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 c. sour cream
2 2/3 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) unsalted butter, softened & cubed
1/2 c.  shortening (I used more butter)
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract 

Coffee Buttercream Icing

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. whole milk
1/3 c. heavy cream
3 sticks (1 1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened at room temp, cubed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. coffee extract (I used extra strong 100% Colombian coffee. Decrease the water and use more grounds.)

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Since I had no corn syrup on hand, I substituted 1 tbsp. sugar and a 1/4 tbsp. water. 

8 oz. good quality 60-72% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened, cubed
1 tbsp. light corn syrup 

Directions:

1. Gather all of your ingredients in one place (not necessary, but it helps keep you from making a ginormous mess!)  

2. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease three 8 in round cake pans; line with parchment paper, butter the parchment and flour. Knock out any excess.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa powder and sour cream. Add 1/4 c. of hot water, blend well and let it cool.

4. In another bowl, sift your dry ingredients together (flour, powder, soda, salt, BUT NOT SUGAR). This is important. Your cake may not be the right consistency if you do not.

5. In a third, larger bowl, blend shortening and butter until smooth. Add in sugar and beat until fluffy. One at a time, add the eggs on medium. Set the mixer speed to low and add the vanilla.

6. Now it gets fun! Take all three bowls in one location. Begin alternately adding the liquid and dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture (in that order). Place the cake batter into the pans and level  them.

7. Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the cook time. Place on wire racks. When they cool, turn the pans upside down, loosen the cake and remove the parchment.

I didn't use parchment because, surprise, I didn't have any! I buttered and floured the pans and crossed my fingers. I call this recipe crumb cake because I had to reassemble the tattered pieces into a cake shape on the serving tray. Thankfully, icing, like love, covers a multitude of sins! 

During the times the cake is baking, go ahead and make the icing. It'll save you tons of time. While the cakes are cooling, the icing can be in the refrigerator firming up to use. 

1. In a medium heavy pan whisk together the flour and sugar. Add the whole milk and cream and bring to a rolling boil. This will thicken the icing. Be sure to stir frequently or it WILL burn to the bottom of your pan (still edible, but your icing will have little brown bits.)

2. Transfer to a mixing bowl (I used glass), and beat on high speed until the mix it cool. It helps if you put it on top of frozen food. 

3. Reduce the mixer's speed to low and add in the butter. Gradually increase the speed back to high and whip until fluffy. Add in the coffee and vanilla and mix until incorporated. 

4. Set in fridge to firm.  

After the cake has cool and your icing is ready to go, layer your cakes. Place one down; even the top with a knife if you'd like; spread a even layer of icing and repeat until all the cakes are stacked. Once it is all assembled spread a thin layer of icing all around and place back in the fridge. This is called a crumb coat and will help your cake to look pretty. Wait about 15 minutes and spread the rest of the icing all over it. 

Now it's time for the ganache! I didn't have a double boiler (has anyone kept talley of how many things I haven't had for this cake?) so I used a glass bowl and a sauce pan. It worked mighty well!

1. Chop your chocolate into course pieces. I used two Lindt 70% Cocao bars and their breaks make it super easy!

2. Place all the ingredients into the already boiling double boiler. Stir until the whole thing is smooth. 

When you go to glaze the cake, do it in two layers. The first helps even the top out (and makes it wonderfully thick!). The second can be your side drizzle. To add a nice touch, garnish with the chocolate covered espresso beans and chill for 20 minutes!

It's not hard to make, just time consuming. And the result is well worth the effort! 

The No Fireside "Fireside Chat"

I've been thinking that you may all think that I've died... or forgotten about filiapacem. It's a no to both. (Though my computer died! Does that count?)

I've been meaning to do a vlog for a while, but I've never figured out how to do it - until now. Hopefully I'll have a real camera in the future with which to mess around; but for now, we'll have to settle on a web cam. I didn't have much time to prepare this so it may be really rough (please bear with me!).



It was so neat to be reminded that my God knows me so well that He can encourage me even when I don't tell Him I'm down.

"O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it."

Psalm 139:1-6

Edit: I'm sorry it's so long! I'll try to keep the other ones I do right around 5 or less.

For His Name? Or Yours? by Christian Ministry Videos on Vimeo

Quick FYI

Just to let you know I haven't died! I'm still here... though my computer has. I'm back in my hometown visiting for the holidays.

I was planning on doing a video post for you but the gentleman who restored my computer took off my program that let me shoot it. :(((( (I'm really super frustrated with my computer right now. It's being a jerk.)

I will be back and I have a good challenge post for 2011.... By the way, chicadees! I'm still waiting to hear your comments. ;)

Inventing the Future

"Myst"-esque telescope - brapke

My chickadees! I want to hear from you!

Please leave me a comment on what you would like to see in this blog. More culture? More spiritual? More personal? Tell me what you like and don't like. If you'd prefer to remain anon, you can post a question to my tumblr, Swan Song. (Or just click here for a direct link to the ask box.)

I want to know what you think. Even if it's about format.

Can't wait to hear from you!
Love bunches ~ ♥ Lady Weaver

여보세요 is もしもし

Image from news blog

Thought I'd share a little bit of my personal journal with y'all. 

"Found a podcast today about useful Korean phrases. Apparently 여보세요 (yeoboseyo) is the equivalent of もしもし(moshimoshi). Learned another thing .... actually, I already knew this: Korean phonetics make NO sense to me. "Yeoboseyo" sounds nothing like that to me. It sounds more like "Doo-goo-say-yo." Japanese romanji - as long as you know the vowels - is fairly simple to read. Even so, Japanese isn't nearly as fun as Korean. When you speak Korean you have to talk like you have marbles in your mouth. It's rather fun."

Quick note for everyone: もしもし and 여보세요 are both words for "hello." The interesting thing is that these are only used for two reasons. The first is for a greeting over the telephone. The second is used when a person is spacing out. For example:

1. *ring ring* Moshi Moshi?/Yeoboseyo?
2. *waves hand in front of friend's face* Moshi Moshi? Yeoboseyo? Anyone there? 

Both languages fascinate me. And for very different reasons. I was thinking last night about what I liked about them and came up with a few things:

Things I like about Japanese:

• Romanji are easy to sound out.
• Katakana/hiragana is fairly simple. し is always "shi." く is always "ku."
• It's not harsh on the ears. I think of the sound as like a grown woman. Very sophisticated. 

Things I like about Korean:

• It's much more attractive to the eye. The vowels and consonants are fairly easy to distinguish and the alphabet is one unit [instead of three like Japanese - kanji, hiragana, katakana. There's no kanji (adopted Chinese characters).] The only downside is the fact that it changes when you have so many of whatever. Like the "'y' to 'i' and add 'es'" rules in English. If Japanese reminds me of a sophisticated woman, Korean reminds me of a super cute child. 
• The y's, b's, o's, l's and m's make for a fun time. Marbles, people, marbles.
• It's not tonal, but it has a few phonetics that sound similar to Chinese (like the "xiè" in 謝謝)

Learning it is interesting. Since I don't know anyone who speaks either fluently, I'm listening to podcasts (which, by the way, are the most amazing things to ever happen for language. I'm currently looking for one in all Spanish so I can work on my listening skills.) I'm trying to develop an ear for sounds. I can already identify several sounds that I'm going to struggle with - just like the Japanese struggle with "r." Do any of y'all do this? Try to identify sounds that you can't quite get right and say them?


What languages are y'all learning? What resources do you use to gain a better understanding of it? If you listen to podcasts, what ones are your favorites? What ones do you suggest?

*おまけ* My name in hangul is 제시카 (Jesika); and in hiragana, it is じえしか (Jeshika).

"We are Rich"

It's so easy to be busy with "moving forward" that you often forget... until something sparks a memory. All of a sudden you're whisked off to that part of your heart where your most sacred memories are treasured. You dust them off and marvel at the great gifts you've been given. An onlooker may scoff at their value, but to you - no - to you they are gems that the earth's wealth could never truly measure.

I suppose this could be something I posted on Thanksgiving, but I'm thankful for her every time I think of her. The "her" is one of my closest friends - Megan Valentine. (Hint: she's the blonde dreamer in the pink feather boa.) I just wanted to change things up a bit and post something a little more personal.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart...
Phil 1:4-7a

What can I say about her? Certainly an amazing young lady. I don't know what it is but Christmas time gives me this yearning to be with her. Maybe it's because (outside of when we attended elementary school together) it was the only time of year when I was able to see her. Funnily enough my favorite cd is intertwined with so many memories of her. Every time I listen to Enya's And Winter Cameit reminds me of my senior year. Driving to her house for a hug I needed so desperately... Crying beside her then doing anything to get my mind off life and the loss of simpler times... We were both going through a difficult time that year. Her house to be forclosed, my betrayal  by those I though my confidantes - through out the whole ordeal she was there to keep me strong.

Too often I took her friendship for granted. (Such a silly, foolish girl I was and am.) I miss her terribly right now.

I don't normally get lost in the labyrinth of memory... but there's just something about those nights that make me forget where I'm at now and just disappear into a bygone epoch. It's my Narnia. Past the cloaks lays a cedar hallway and a dimly lit, cozy "library." The books are mostly familiar souls and contain the reader's story within their own. Each person in the room has a special connection - no matter how far each strays from their childhood, the family will always be there... A family without a bloodline. The raggle-taggle group trades jests (new and old alike). For the briefest of times, the room transforms into a fortress... it's peace. It's solitude. Cookies, hot cocoa, Christmas: they enjoy the presence of the others even when the room grows silent.
None realize. It's the last time they'll ever be like that. The oldest are graduating. Childhood and it's trappings are to be retired in Clotho's tapestry.

She's a sounding board, my iron sharpener.  A hopeless romantic that constantly reminds me of life's dreamier side (she pulls my head into the clouds when I get too down). An intellectual when she desires... one of the few that I never had to worry confounding with my aberrant vocabulary. A faithful friend. One word would describe her aptly: loyal.

"You know something, Diana? We are rich. We have sixteen years to our credit, and we both have wonderful imaginations. We should be as happy as queens."

~ Anne, Anne of Green Gables

*cross posted to Filia Pacem 

Single-Minded: Content in Him

This isn't going to be a feel good post. I'm not here to butter up things, rather, I'm here to give you the Biblical perspective on womanhood. This is tough to write and even tougher to live... I'll just state that a lot of the things I'm going to be dealing with (in this post and others) are things that I struggle to be/overcome in my life.


I am not going to post rules, regulations, or even guidelines for you to follow. Rather I want you to focus on your "Be" Level ~ who you are, what you find, in Christ. I want you to do these things (modesty, kindness, charity, meekness, etc.) because you love your God. If you can get a hold of this one concept, it will revolutionize your life.

Now that we've covered that, let's get to the heart of the matter. Before we begin on anything else, there is on prevalent question that MUST be asked:

Would you be content if you remained single for the rest of your life?

Or would you be upset?

Let's be honest. Our calling in life - whether at an away-from-home job or as a stay-at-home maker - begs for a companion. But have you become so consumed with the idea of a life mate that you're completely missing the point of life? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.“ Our life is to revolve around worshiping, serving, honoring Christ.

At this point you may be asking, "So what are you saying?!? That marriage is bad? To want to be a mother wrong?" No, I'm not saying any of this. What I am saying is that the sole goal of a husband, a home, and children is not Biblical. Marriage is not your highest calling!

The best way I have heard it put is by a girl named Joanna Lynn,

But here’s a surprise.  Tempted as I might be to say that singleness is the most defining factor in my life right now, I would have to admit that, no, it is not.  Being single is not who I am.  If I were married, my marriage would not be who I am.  Even just the fact that I am a woman doesn’t define my life and shape my days.  The most important detail of my whole life is that I am a child of God. Wherever I go, whatever the color of my skin happens to be, however lonely I feel, however stereotyped and boxed-in other people choose to see me, I am a Christian, bought with the priceless gift of Jesus blood, and THAT is defining, if anything is.  That means, I am not my own.  I am called to serve the Lord, with all of my talents, all of my being, all of my desires and wishes.  I am called to throw myself into the front-lines of spiritual battle, praying when I can do nothing else, working when and where that is possible, pouring my life out for the One who bought me.  I am a girl, yes, but I am also a soldier.  I am single, and financially limited, but I am also Christ’s witness and a bearer of precious tidings.  My life right now should be pretty much like my married life will one day be: a life with Christ as it’s focus, it’s aim, it’s glory.  In that respect, my physical conditions on earth do not alter who I am, and what I am called to do.  Granted, a married woman definitely has a different field of service than a single woman does, especially if she is a mother as well, but if you see what I mean, her ultimate goal and desire should remain unchanged.

~ Joanna Lynn, The Defining Factor

It is emotionally painful to be single! We were not created to be solitary creatures (just look at Genesis 2:18 where God created Adam a companion) but rather to function in a partnership. Need an example? Check out 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 where Paul speaks of unity in the Body of Christ. Isn't it interesting that this unity chapter leads into arguably the most famous Bible chapter (hint: it's about love)?

Single-Minded

We're getting off course. Around my school there is a phrase often quoted, "You'll be more of tomorrow what you are today." Whatever you are practicing today is what you will be living tomorrow. What are you practicing?

Preparing to be a help-meet means so much more than just learning how to do dishes, how to rear children, or how to cook. The Hebrew word,עזר ('ezer), is the idea of aid. A help-meet's sole purpose in life is to aid her husband - who's job is to lead his family in worship. Let me repeat/clarify that: The sole purpose of a wife is to aid her husband in God's glorification.

Wait! This mean that our purpose as a married woman is the same as a single female!!! What a revolutionary idea!

"Be More of Tomorrow"

Disney has ruined us. From a young age we are taught to wait in our ivory tower because "One day my prince will come!". This mentality is so rare (I believe non-existent) in the Scripture. Rebecca, Esther, Mary, Ruth, Deborah... you name her, she wasn't waiting for her prince. She was serving God right where she was.

Are you content to serve Christ as a single? Will you just wait to serve Him until you're married? How do you expect to be more of tomorrow if you aren't doing today? Instead of spending your time pining for your prince, use it to Glorify God. He'll bring along some on so much better than Mr. Charming. "...that in all things he [Christ] might have the preeminence." (Col 1:18)

Lady Weaver is a part-time student, full-time single. Soft spots include food, cultural oddities, good books, excellent music, and all things Asian. She is currently studying for God's call on her life - Foreign Missions. Often she struggles but knows that God is in ultimate control. Daily she lives to serve and worship Him. In the back of her mind she wonders if she'll find Mr. Right... but knows that God has plans and lessons for her at the moment (mainly in learning to keep her big mouth shut and listen). The Lady keeps up with school, church, ministry, work, and two blogs Filia Pacem and Wanderlust Requiem.

Paint the Town Purple

I broke my goal today. I got on Tumblr to search for an idea or image for a post...

And I ended up find my dashboard doused with all shades of purple:

I also received a notification of Facebook two weeks ago about joining in on "Spirit Day." The event - wearing purple in protest of homosexual bullying - was to be held on Oct 20 (today). It's odd how one of my classes this morning ended up discussing the topic of Sodomites and the Gospel.

In real time, this is one of the most confusing topics for me. How are we to love the sinner yet hate the sin?

The LGBT Community paints Christianity in a harsh light. We are often portrayed as narrow-minded zealots who don't care about people. By proxy, many are lead to believe that Christ hated the Sodomites. We know that this is far above the truth. There are several verses that refer to how all encompassing the love God is ( John :16, John 13:34-35,  1 Peter 4:8).

Why do they (the Homosexual community) hate  us so much? How do we reach out to them without accepting their lifestyle? Isn't their lifestyle so integral to what makes them them?  Where are the answers? What are the answers

cross posted from Filia Pacem

On Being Content

Today was a hard day.

I didn't get much sleep last night and woke up early for work this morning. The other day I was asked to come in Monday morning at 7 am to do some training. Training = more hours = ability to pay bills and eat - this has been my mindset so I didn't mind not being able to sleep in (because being able to sleep pales in comparison to being able to live down here).

I work at Chick-fil-A. Currently, I'm training to work on the boards so I can prep and make food. This also means that I have a limited comprehension of what's being said. I worked with about 6 different people this morning and only one spoke fluent English. Due to some miscommunication between the owner and the on-duty manager, I was thrown into the mix and expected to preform like a fully trained boards member.

What resulted was me, completely useless, being told to do things in a language I could not comprehend.

An hour into my shift, I began to criticize and complain mentally. Within seconds my mind pulled out, "whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content." (Phil 4:11)  The next thing my my mental filing system pulled up was 1 Timothy 6:1, "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed." Personally, my pride didn't like either of those. My attitude was sour: "I'm not getting paid enough to work with these people. They don't speak English and they're rude. It doesn't matter what I do or how I do it, it's not good enough. They hate me."

A new thought occurred to me. This is a mini-nationals boot camp. This is a mini-mission field. If I can get along with my co-workers, then I'll be able to handle the mission field. More likely than not, I'll be in a country where the language is not my original one.  The language barrier will make me feel inadequate. There will be misunderstanding and some people will hate me just for being American. I can't give up just because it's a little difficult. That's an insult to the name of Christ.

If I were to say, "God taught me about contentment today and I'll never struggle with it again! I love my job and the Latinas I work with so much!" I'd be lying.  I feel defeated. I want to give up. But I know that there is a reason I'm where I'm at and learning what I'm learning. Maybe I could get one of the ladies to teach me Spanish?

cross posted from Filia Pacem

Challenge: Perfectionism & Procrastination

Confession: I'm notorious for procrastination.

In my senior year of high school I read a book about birth order and its effects on personality. The Firstborn Advantage: Making your birthorder work for you states that firstborns are plagued with perfectionism (as well as being driven, controlling, and critical). When in check it is an excellent quality - however, when it rules their life it demands obeisance in the forms of procrastination (the "I can't do it perfectly so I don't want to do it at all" mentality) and frustration.

To this day I still haven't mastered keeping my perfectionism. Most of the time it rules my life. I am constantly in fear of failing and disappointing people (also traits of perfectionism out of balance). This ends up causing procrastination... and leads to me ultimately fufiling my fears.

Often I forget that God requires my full effort not perfection:

• Psalm 100:1 "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord..."
• Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"
• 1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"
• 1 Peter 4:11 "if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,"
• Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
• Ephesians 6:6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;"

Anyone else seeing the pattern? In my people-pleasing self-centeredness, I often forget God is suppose to be preeminent (Col 1:18). For the glory of God, for the name of Christ, that He may be glorified - everything the Scriptures say focus on God. He doesn't require perfection, but  He demands our best. All He asks is that we give our all. (For instance - "make a joyful noise", not "make harmonious music.")

What's the challenge part of this?

1. One week - no Facebook, Tumblr, Livejournal, or Youtube. I've already gone one week without Facebook (and feel better for it) so I want to add another level...
2. Blog once a day for the next week. I have issues with being diligent with any blog I write (it's not that I'm bad at writing posts... I just have issues with actually writing them and then pressing the publish button.)

Offer my best. Not perfection, not procrastination, not prominence; rather my all for the First and Only.

cross posted from Filia Pacem

Hand It Over

"Eat my lunch" - colloquial phrase, when someone is faced with something difficult... not unlike the school bully taking a kid's lunch. 

Use: "I have three 500 word essays due tomorrow. They're gonna eat my lunch."

I had my lunch eaten today. Twice.

And the sad thing? I'm not even trying to eat my own lunch. I'm just sitting there, handing it over.

The first half of class we went over our Goer-Sender Coalition last night. Bro. Tony Howeth was in town and preached on the atmosphere of a sending church. In his message he stated "You don't need God for your dreams, they're so small you can accomplish them on your own." That alone was convicting. To add to that, we had a missionary on deputation visit our class - Jim Roberts. He was asked to share what he was doing and where he was going. After he finished telling us about his burden for Scotland, the floor was opened for questions.

"What is your vision, your dream for Inverness, Scotland" Robert Canfield asked.

His answer? "To see 56,660 souls saved."

Fact about Inverness: the city's population numbers right at 56,660 people.

My dreams for my city, for Asia, for the world are no where near like they should be. How is it that Bro Roberts believes with his whole heart that the entire city of Inverness will be saved while I don't even believe that my whole family will be? It's not that my God is not big enough; rather, my faith in my big God is extremely small.

The second challenge was posed in the latter half of class. Mark Coffey began to discuss the way that we dress, act, and speak. (It is constantly affirmed that we are here at the training center to become leaders of leaders. Everything we do here is to prepare us to take that path and become a shepherd of God's children.)

"People are going to follow you regardless of whether you follow Christ or not. Where are you leading others?"

Trent Cornwell threw out the example of the Big 3. Every week at Vision Baptist they highlight a country, a staff missionary and a partnering missionary. Trent asked if we liked the idea behind it - a reminder to pray. He asked if we wanted others to pray for it - the consensus was yes. Then he asked if we could name the Big 3 for the week - and the room was silent.

Both things have made me ponder over these questions:

1. Why are my dreams so limited? Why don't I think a whole city can be won for Christ? Is this why I sit at home and don't get involved with my community and try to impact my world? Simply unprepared or am I lazy and faithless?

2. Who's following me and where am I leading them? Are the traits in my life things that I want to reproduce in others?

Anyone else want their lunches back?

crossposted from Filia Pacem (my school writing blog)

Looking Forward

Wow. It's been almost five months since I posted last.

Things have been changing a lot. I've moved out from home and am off at college (which has broadened my perspective and made me very thankful for my parents and what they've provided for me over the years). Perhaps the biggest change is the fact that I am studying for missions and not for culinary arts. It's exciting - I can't wait to see what God does.

After some thought, I have decided to change the direction of this blog. From now on it'll be more of a devotional and thoughtful blog. Nothing extremely special for you; but for me, oh so much. I'm excited about the new series I plan on starting: True Beauty - focusing on Biblical beauty. The second is My God is... highlight different attributes of God each week.

I hope you'll stick around!

PS. I was accepted into an internship in China for next summer! That's one of the most exciting things for me to tell you :)

Once in Every Lifetime

Hello chicadees! I apologize! It's been quite a while since I've caught up with things on here. Life has been extremely busy. I'm now working nearly 40 hours a week at two different jobs.

As a filler, I've decided to crosspost this entry from my last blogging venture Eating Cultures. 

(I dated this gentleman, and later ended the relationship due to mutual agreement from both parties. A fiasco ensue and we are no longer friends. However, I do hope that he is well and has learned to make friends.)

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Two things inspired me for today's post:

1. I met up with an old crush the other day (which was what reminded me of this phrase).
2. I remembered why I am a tea only person.

My biggest facination with the country of Japan is their cooking style (ahem... you are reading the blog of a foodie), particularly that of cha-kaiseki. This is the meal that accompanies a longer tea ceremony and it highlights the current season and the tea that follows. Asthetics are valued over taste (although taste is exremely important as well) and the presentation of the food tells a story.

If, no excuse me, when I stay in Japan, I hope to study this art form. (Actually, aside from governmental work, it is the whole reason I want to be in Japan.) But that's enough on that, I need to finish my story.

The boy I met with is a precious friend, and he could have been more than that. During our lunch meal I realized that any chance of a deeper relationship had fallen. A year ago, even at the beginning of the meeting that day, I would have considered him as a possible life mate. (Unlike most students, I do not think of relationships as a trivial matter. They are to be taken with the utmost sincerity ~ playing with hearts is not my style.) However, at the end, my mind had captured a phrase and would not release it: "Ichigo, Ichie."

"Ichigo, Ichie" translates to "One encounter, one chance."

The tea ceremony is a spiritual meeting. The participants as well as the tea master realize that, "ichigo, ichie," there will never be another encounter like this one. The zen philosophy calls to memory that every moment is a precious thing, and not to be wasted. (The kaiseki also follows this principle. Everything is consumned, including the rice burnt on the bottom of the pan ~ don't worry. It's served in a miso broth.)

Even for Christians, "ichigo, ichie" is an excellent philosophy. Each moment is precious; there will never be another like it. Life life to its fullest. Don't let the little things ruin your attitude. If we each savored every second, what would our outlook be like?

Tea Time

As for why I am a tea person? Coffee makes me dizzy and nauseated (even when watered down). My morning's aren't considered morning without my standard tea. While this varies daily, my current favorite being an herbal peppermint, in honor of the tea ceremony I will talk about green tea.

Matcha (ground green tea leaves) is served at all ceremonies, but the type varies: thin (usu-cha), and less common thick (koi-cha). Oddly, usucha is more bitter than its counterpart and is less expensive. If you have had any experience with green tea ice cream, than you have had a [super] sweetend form.

As matcha is supurbly expensive, I'll focus a little more on avaliable green teas. Essentially green tea is the same as black. They both come from the plant camillia sinensis. The most common is sen-cha (the typical grocery stores carry a lesser version of this form called ban-cha), and it is rolled and steamed when picked. The next type is matcha *points to previous paragraph*. Then you have blends. The two blends that are considered "true" green tea are genmai-cha and jasmine. Jasmine is a blend of green teas and, of course, jasmine flowers. Genmai-cha is sen-cha blended with toasted brown rice. Out of all the green teas, this one is my favorite as it has an earthy toasted flavor.

How to prepare a cup of green tea

Suprisingly, many do not know the difference in preparing a green vs. black tea. Believe me, it does make a notable difference.

2 tsp. - 1 1/3 tbsp of your favorite green tea (depending on how strong you want it to be)

1 c. of boiling water

1. Boil the water in a kettle, or in a microwavable cup.
2. Place the tea bag or strainer into the cup. Allow to soak for thirty seconds to a minute.
3. As you enjoy your tea, contemplate the meaning of "Ichigo, Ichie." :)

If you would like more information on the tea ceremony, I suggest checking out Untangeling My Chopsticks by Victoria Abbott Riccardi. She is an American who moved to Japan (with no language experience) to learn the art of cha-kaiseki.

Calligraphy of "Ichigo, Ichie."

First image courtesy of  ohihides on flickr.

Defining a Generation: the Myth of Adolecene

It's been a while since I've done a real post, and I thought it was high time I added another part to the Defining a Generation series.

 

The Myth of Adolecence

What is it? To understand this, you must understand from where the concept comes. Nearly four years ago, two 16 year old twin brothers started on a journey of self-growth. In 2010 they have interned for the Alabama Supreme Court, headed several state wide re-election campaigns, written two best selling books, traveled the world, and headed a series of forums and conferences. All by age 20. The "they" are the Harris twins, Alex and Brett, and they call their movement The Rebelution. 

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I would like to pause here and explain: I am a born-again Christian and I love my God. I enjoy talking about things I love, thus, I will talk about my Savior. This video (taken from one of the recent rebelution articles) explains where I stand in my religion... or rather my faith. I am by no means a religious person. In fact, I hate religion - it's my Lord I love and serve.

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

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In 2005,  the Harris brothers wrote a series of articles on rebelling against the cultural norms. Many other teenagers caught their infectious spirit and thus was born a "rebelution." They proposed that American society was wasting their best asset, the minds and talents of teenagers. 

And they're absolutely correct.  As a younger generation we have vision and energy. We are ripe for innovating and shaping our culture. So why are we wasting it? Have we let society tell us for so long that we are "too young" and "too inexperienced"? Weren't some of the greatest men and women, the shakers and movers of history, teens? 

Child-like not Childish

The best type of faith (be it religious or not) is a child-like faith. I remember thinking about this topic one day late last autumn. Then it hit me. I had been taught all my life to have a "child-like faith." Never once had anyone seen fit to explain the difference between Child-like and Childish. My whole life I had thought there was no difference. How many others, I wondered, are trapped in the same mindset?

Have you ever spent much time around young children? Their world is filled with firsts - scintillating with exploration and adventure. Their observations are profound, and simultaneously simplistic. Nothing ceases to amaze them, and their discoveries are shared with any welcoming face. Life is wonderful. And that is that.

Role Reversal

Precocious kids are interesting creatures. Ever met one? That would be the girl wearing her mother's high heels and pearls, ordering others like she owns the world. She's ambitious and spunky - nothing (other than her parents "no") will hold her back. Her future careers goals include doctor, mother, lawyer, and princess. Perhaps a part-time job as president. 

What happens to that drive when she becomes a teenager? Why does our social standing revert once we reached that fabled land of "teenagedom"? Expectations go from major leagues to back yard baseball (if that). Adolescences are expected to be a wast of space; only consuming, never producing. (Notice a difference in the pictures I chose?) Teens, myself included, need to seize this crucial period and use it to mold themselves into adults. Paul said in 1 Cor 13:11 "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

So what does this mean? "Teenagedom" does not exist! We are either children or adults. Society has only fabricated the "teen years" to validate laziness. It's the reason why we're stuck with "Kidults," adults that never grew up mentally. 

I really recommend, non-believers included, Do Hard Things. It's a fantastic look into this topic and worth every penny. The Harris twins also recently published START HERE, an idea booklet for beginning the life changing ideas discussed in Do Hard Things. Pick it up and tell me what you think. It definitely is great mind fodder.

Meme of the Week: Photo Mosaic

Time for another meme! I really like the random flickr ones as pictures are so inspiring. Plus I adore the word mosaic... it's so wanderlusty. ^^

How it's done:

1. Answer each of the questions below.
2. Hop over to Flickr and type your answers (one at a time) into the search bar.
3. From the choice of pictures shown on the front page, click on the one that moves you. (I actually cheated a bit and went to the next two or three pages. I really wanted things that embodied my answers.)
4. Once the page with your picture opens, copy the URL.
5. Wiggle over to the Mosaic Maker, set up your mosaic, and paste in your URLs.
6. Click “Create!”

The questions:

1. What is your first name? Haley
2. What is your favorite food? Ramen ♥_♥ chances are if you don't like it, you've never had it (prepared properly). A steaming bowl of soul-refreshing wonderfulness!
3. What high school did you attend? Temple Baptist Academy (don't hold it against me lol)
4. What is your favorite color? I really enjoy earth tones, but due to spring I'm in love with Sakura/Plum.
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Liam Aiken. Really, who doesn't love Klaus?
6. What is your favorite drink? Other than water, that would be Ramune. The bottle is just too much fun.
7. Where would you go on your dream vacation? Kyoto... anytime of year.
8. What is your favorite dessert? Green Tea Ice cream. Amazing stuff.
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Chef! Particularly one versed in tea kaiseki and Japanese traditional food (Chinese and Thai too).
10. What do you love most in life? Tokyo street fashion... maybe not love, but really find interesting.
11. Choose one word to describe you. Wanderlust (didn't see that one coming did you?)
12. Your Flickr name? Lady Weaver

Credits:
1. Haley Williams of Paramore, 2. Time for Ramen, 3. Old City of Homs 1912 Syria, 4. The Plum Blossom Festival, 5. Liam Aiken, 6. Ramune, 7. Kyoto - fushimi inari toriis, 8. Green tea ice cream, 9. Iron Chef: Gainesville, 10. Sweet Lolita in Shinjuku sanchome, Tokyo, 11. Wanderlust, 12. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman

It's funny how my heart seems to reside between the mountains and the big city. My whole life seems to be composed of polar opposites. If you copy this idea, leave me a link in my comments so I can see your mosaic!

PS Stick around! My next post will be part of my other series Defining a Generation.