Over the weekend, our Christmas activities were kicked off one evening by a lovely Christmas Tea for women. It was sponsored by a local church (one that friends of ours attend). I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation.
It was a large party room with nearly 150 ladies in attendance. The room was festive with Christmas decorations, blue lighting, and a well lit stage. The evening began with prayer, followed by praise and worship.
Each table was hosted by a lady from the church who then decorated and set the table for 8 of her guests.
It was an elegant and festive event that was so well done. I count myself among the fortunate who merited an invitation.
Christmas is my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is the highlight for many families and is the most traveled holiday in the US. Not that Christmas is a minor holiday. Just search for airfare and you'll see what I mean.
My mom always decorated the entire house for Christmas and always had Christmas music playing. What other holiday has decorations and music to light up the season?
We decorated our tree a few days ago and are feeling festive already! When I say "we" I mean "me." My husband views Christmas as a one day holiday, possibly two with Christmas Eve. It's not an entire season in his African country the way it is in the US.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines hope as “the
feeling that something desired can be had or will happen.” My experience in life seems to match Cambridge Dictionary's lack of a guarantee that a desired outcome will absolutely happen. Yet, we all need hope to help us through this life.
Hope keeps us hanging on in the tough times. A glimmer of hope may be the only light in the darkest of situations. That may be all we have to keep us holding on when we're on the verge of giving up.
One afternoon, I was at the 100 year old lady’s house when
missionaries from her church came to visit. They were pleasant young men who were between the ages of 18-21 and typically had scripture or a lesson to share. One such
visit brought a lesson about hope.
I
was intrigued to hear what these young men would say about hope. They were
young, after all, and most likely hadn't been through the struggles and trials that
this woman had. They asked her what gave her hope in the times of turbulence.
Her answer was simple: “it’s about knowing and believing.”
I sat and pondered this for a minute. So simple. So
profound. Yet I didn’t find it to be bulletproof. There were holes in this
statement.
Knowing what? Believing what?
Is knowing enough? Is believing enough? Human beings have a short memory. I may know and / or believe something, but as soon as I find myself once again in a showdown with a giant, I easily forget and lose hope. I forget what I know. I forget what I believe. I forget who God is. I forget who I am. I even forget that Jesus told us we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33). He was right.
Throughout our lives hopes are dashed, dreams crumble. I used to think that going from "glory to glory" (2 Cor 3:18) meant I would swing on the treetops of victory, swinging from one triumphant branch to the next triumphant branch, never touching the ground. In my mind, I pictured Tarzan. Reality doesn't resemble this Tarzan image AT ALL. After one momentous, treetop experience, another menace to hope is not far behind.
An engine cannot propel a vehicle unless adequately filled with fuel on regular intervals. Hope is no different. When we experience going from trial to triumph, it fuels our faith and produces hope in us. We need to see evidence and results to keep us going during time of struggle. Prayers answered, sicknesses healed. A testimony is not just for the one who lived through it, but
also for others to be strengthened and encouraged. Hearing testimonies from others can serve as fuel in our "hope tank," too. It does not always need to be first hand to be just what we need in trying moments.
For reference:
"They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..."
Rev 12:10a.
For your listening pleasure: "Hope is what we crave and that will never change..."
One of my family’s favorite dishes is caprese. Caprese is an Italian word that means "from Capri" (an island off the western mainland of Italy).
It is light enough to be a snack or appetizer, but can easily parlay into dinner. The ingredients
are simple: tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, and olive oil. There are
variations involving salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and even pasta. It can be
served as salad or sandwich even.
My parents like to stack grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella
pearls, and basil alternately then held into place with a toothpick. Not only a
handy way to enjoy this tasty treat, but a snazzy presentation as well.
My sister likes cracked pepper and balsamic vinegar on
her caprese. It is a really nice flavor combination and another great way to
serve caprese.
No matter how caprese is served, it is fresh and delicious.
Once in a while, I find myself in self-pity mode. I sometimes
dismiss it so I can snap out of it, while other times I dig myself deeper into
the pit.
Over a period of time, I have discovered that I fall into
this trap because I compared myself to someone else. I look at how something
did not turn out the way I wanted and then look at how it worked out for
someone else. It’s not always the same circumstance. For example, I applied for
the same job as someone else. They got it and I didn’t. Usually, it is less
comparable and not as “apples to apples.”
No matter the trigger, if something doesn’t go my way, I sink
deeper into the hole. Like I said, it may not even be parallel or comparable
situations, but I leverage what they have going on to push myself further down.
I listen attentively to the voice feeding me lies and embrace the lies as if
they were my own.
In these times, I find myself in the story at Jesus’ tomb
after his dramatic exit. I’m not the hero of the story. Rather, I find myself
as the other one in the story. The scene is in Matthew 27, which incidentally
is the same chapter as Judas hanging himself, Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and
burial. That’s a lot of action, not to mention a lot of tragedy. If we zoom
into verse 61, we see Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were in attendance at
the tomb. Fast forward to Matthew 28, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come
back to the tomb (verse 1).
We know the first Mary because there is much written
about her. The other Mary, though, who is she?
Just the fact that they refer to her as the “other” Mary
seems disparaging. Almost as if she isn’t as good as Mary Magdalene. She is
listed last on the attendance list on both occasions, albeit there are only 2
present. She is called the “other Mary” in both Matthew 27 and 28.
Can you imagine the conversations where her name comes
up?
The beautiful Mary? No, the other one.
The intelligent Mary? No, the other one.
The talented Mary? No, the other one.
If I let myself wallow long enough, I feel like the
"other one" and not like the "favored" and "winning" one. The one that is
faceless, unrelated, unknown, invisible.
The culprit? Comparison. While I know I’m not the only
one who falls into the comparison trap, I find myself needlessly suffering when
I elevate the enemy’s voice from me hearing to me listening. Not only do
I suffer, but I miss out on God’s blessings (past and present).
That's when I need to praise the God who
has a plan for ME. The One who calls ME by name. The One who knew ME before time began. The One who knit ME together. The One who created ME to be wonderfully and fearfully made. The One who will give ME a new name. The lifter of MY head. Only then will I shift my focus from the "other one" to God's treasure.
For reference:
“I have told you these things, so that in me
you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world.” John 16:33
Favado has become one of my favorite apps. It compares prices of grocery items (including health & beauty products) in chain stores. You'll always get the best price by using Favado.
This app triangulates your location in order to show you applicable stores. Here are chain stores that are part of the comparison according to my location:
You can search by a general item or by a specific brand. Below you can see I searched for shampoo on the left and Head & Shoulders on the right.
If you select one of the search results, more detailed information appears. It will show you the final price after coupons and sales.
Another free app at Google Play and the App Store = more money saving!
No matter how clean I try to cook, I always splash and spill things. Fortunately, our electric stove has drip pans. I can't imagine the mess without them. But there is still a mess in the drip pans.
Growing up in the disposable generation, I am more inclined to throw them out then put in elbow grease. I decided that replacing these pans are not always budget-friendly especially when considering the number of messes I have.
Oh man, these are gross!
Searching online I found that ammonia was a common solution for stoves and ovens. It's a household product that is pretty handy and cheap!
All you'll need is a gallon size zip top bag and a splash or two of ammonia. I put the small and large drip pans together for a couple reasons. First, it takes less time and materials to "steam" 2 together rather than 1 drip pan per bag. Second, I can still use my stove for big pots and small pots by leaving 2 still on the stove.
The length of time to allow these drip pans to sit in the bag really depends on the amount of gunk. I typically leave them in for 24-48 hours.
Once I take them out of the bag, I wash them. I may need to exert some energy using steel wool or other type of serious scrubber.
The first few times, I did this method, I dumped out the ammonia and for the next round, I put new ammonia in the bag. I soon discovered that the ammonia may get a little dirty but the potency does not dull after 1 bag treatment. I reuse the bag and ammonia when treating the second set of drip pans.
