Indecision

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference: James 1:6-8

Indecision
It is painfully obvious that many young people today have an awful time making up their minds about anything. They're not "really sure" what college to go to, what to major in, whom to room with, what career to prepare for, whether or whom to marry, whether to bother with children if they do marry, when to bother with them, what to do with them if they get them, whether to attempt to instill any values in their children (not to make up your mind on this issue is, of course, already to have instilled a value in the mind of the child).
Garry Trudeau, author of the cartoon "Doonesbury," has noticed this prevalent indecisiveness. In one strip he has a young man appearing for an interview with the president of an advertising company.
"So you want to be an ad man, eh, son?" says the executive.
"Well, I think so, sir," says the youth. "I mean, I can't be certain, of course, but it seemed worth looking into, you know, to see if it worked out, if it felt right and... I... uh..."
I guess there's nothing new about indecision. James wrote about it in his epistle, and he shows that the remedy for it is trust. He tells us to ask for wisdom if we don't know what to do. "But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind; and every decision you then make will be uncertain, as you turn first this way and then that. If you don't ask with faith, don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer" (James 1:6-8, LB).

Frequently during the day I have interesting thoughts, but I almost never have a chance to write them down since I'm always in the car. However, I did manage to jot one down today while listening to the radio.
The Third Day song "I Believe" came on (apparently it's a cover of a song that Rich Mullins wrote). Anyways, the lyric is, "I believe what I believe is what makes me who I am." The thought that came to me was, "with apologies to Third Day (and Rich Mullins), I believe that what I do about what I believe is what makes me who I am."
I spent the rest of the day mulling over the difference between those two ideas, if indeed there are any. Personally, I think there are. I can (and sometimes do) talk all day about what I believe. I'm rather opinionated in many cases, so a lot of times this comes pretty easily to me. Thing is, I can talk till I'm blue in the face without it meaning anything. I'm one of those people who doesn't trust what others say unless they back it up with some action. People who don't do what they say they will do aren't trustworthy in my book. This extends to the small things as much as the big things. I have to assume that if I think this way I can't possibly be the only one. Therefore, what I do matters just as much, if not more, than what I say. If I say one thing, but act differently, which one of those really shows what it is that I believe?

Eating Healthy Without Going Broke Part 2- Go Local

In the first part of my series on eating healthy without going broke I talked about figuring out what the big ticket items were in your grocery budget, and working at saving money on those things. Looking for the best return for the lowest effort is a great way to trim your grocery bill.
Besides this, another way to trim your bill while drastically increasing the quality of what you're eating is to shop locally for produce as much as possible. As we get closer to summer, this will get easier and easier in most parts of the country. It actually gets more difficult in Phoenix though because there are some things that just can't survive the heat here.
Chris and I have talked about this for quite a few years, but we are just starting to really get good at shopping locally. One thing that we do is partake in a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets. I've blogged about it before here, but it is a really great way for us to get lots of fresh produce into our diets. Even better, Bountiful Baskets has expanded into parts of Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington, in addition to Arizona. If you are interested in trying it but afraid that you won't be able to eat an entire basket of produce, find someone to split one with and take turns picking up the order. Besides the co-op, we've made a habit of going to the Phoenix Farmer's market most weekends and getting produce there. If you want to find the farmer's markets in your area, check out Local Harvest. Farmer's markets can be a great way to get local produce at a good price, and many also feature other locally made items. I've seen everything from cheese, to farm fresh eggs, to homemade jewelry.
Of course, you can't get much more local than your own backyard, and growing your own food is a great way to eat healthy without going broke. Every year we think about starting a garden, make some small efforts towards starting a garden, and then never actually go through with it. However this year we have managed to transplant and keep alive some mint, a basil plant, and exactly one tomato plant. Fortunately, the tomatoes on the plant are ripening nicely, and even growing the mint and basil is saving us money that we would normally spend buying herbs. If you have a greener thumb than we do, even a small garden can save you a bundle on produce.
To conclude, if you want to eat healthy without going broke, try going local. Look for a food co-op, visit a local farm, or frequent your farmer's market. You can even try growing your own fruits and vegetables. The closer to home your food is, the less you will be paying to transport and preserve it, and the fresher it will be when it gets to your table.

Broken Things

Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Source: Streams in the Desert
Scripture Reference: Job 41:25

Broken Things
"By reason of breakings they purify themselves" (Job 41:25).

God uses most for His glory those people and things which are most perfectly broken. The sacrifices He accepts are broken and contrite hearts. It was the breaking down of Jacob's natural strength at Peniel that got him where God could clothe him with spiritual power. It was breaking the surface of the rock at Horeb, by the stroke of Moses' rod that let out the cool waters to thirsty people.

It was when the 300 elect soldiers under Gideon broke their pitchers, a type of breaking themselves, that the hidden lights shone forth to the consternation of their adversaries. It was when the poor widow broke the seal of the little pot of oil, and poured it forth, that God multiplied it to pay her debts and supply means of support.

It was when Esther risked her life and broke through the rigid etiquette of a heathen court, that she obtained favor to rescue her people from death. It was when Jesus took the five loaves and broke them, that the bread was multiplied in the very act of breaking, sufficient to feed five thousand. It was when Mary broke her beautiful alabaster box, rendering it henceforth useless, that the pent-up perfume filled the house. It was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken to pieces by thorns and nails and spear, that His inner life was poured out, like a crystal ocean, for thirsty sinners to drink and live.

It is when a beautiful grain of corn is broken up in the earth by DEATH, that its inner heart sprouts forth and bears hundreds of other grains. And thus, on and on, through all history, and all biography, and all vegetation, and all spiritual life, God must have BROKEN THINGS.

Those who are broken in wealth, and broken in self-will, and broken in their ambitions, and broken in their beautiful ideals, and broken in worldly reputation, and broken in their affections, and broken ofttimes in health; those who are despised and seem utterly forlorn and helpless, the Holy Ghost is seizing upon, and using for God's glory. "The lame take the prey," Isaiah tells us.

O break my heart; but break it as a field
Is by the plough up-broken for the corn;
O break it as the buds, by green leaf seated,
Are, to unloose the golden blossom, torn;
Love would I offer unto Love's great Master,
Set free the odor, break the alabaster.

O break my heart; break it victorious God,
That life's eternal well may flash abroad;
O let it break as when the captive trees,
Breaking cold bonds, regain their liberties;
And as thought's sacred grove to life is springing,
Be joys, like birds, their hope, Thy victory singing. --Thomas Toke Bunch

This classic devotional is the unabridged edition of Streams in the Desert. This first edition was published in 1925 and the wording is preserved as originally written. Connotations of words may have changed over the years and are not meant to be offensive.

Almost...

I've been carrying my small camera in my purse for a few weeks (soon after I hit 99,000) so that I could be sure to catch a picture when it happened. My main worry was either that I would forget to notice, or that I would be on the freeway or somewhere else that would make it impossible to pull over and take a picture. Fortunately, it didn't happen that way.

I was on a nearly empty residential road, so I just pulled over quick and snapped a few pictures. This little car of mine has been through a lot in the 8(?) years that I've had it. Multiple trips between school and home (a 4 hour drive), including a few trips when it was snowing. Driving cross country with me, Chris, and everything we could stuff in the back seat and trunk (not much). Being relegated to a second car after we bought our Alero, then our Elantra. And of course, being my work car for the past 3 years, complete with a backseat that is overflowing with toys. Over 15,000 miles per year, just for work. That includes one very long and uncomfortable summer with no air conditioning. Thankfully that not so small issue is fixed and the AC seems to be working just fine. It also survived getting rear-ended by a pickup truck, which technically totaled the car, even though it still runs fine, despite the dent in the back end. Overall, this car has served us well.

Eating Healthy Without Going Broke Part 1- Focus

Now I wouldn't say we're the experts on this, and there are only two of us in this house, so some of these may not apply to everyone. However, because Chris likes to cook and to experiment with different foods we eat pretty well. This includes more meat than we probably should, and on a lower grocery budget than many people use. Besides that, we eat healthy. Since everyone knows about cutting coupons and shopping the sales, this will be a series of posts about more unusual things that we do to keep our grocery budget under control while still eating well.
Tip 1.  Focus on the bigger ticket items that will net you the most savings. For example, we cook almost exclusively with olive oil. To the tune of a liter or two of it each month. Because olive oil is such a large part of our grocery budget, we did some searching to find quality olive oil at a good price. For a long time we were buying it at a local bulk store that does not charge for memberships. This was a pretty good deal, and we would go several times per year and stock up on enough olive oil to last a few months.
However, recently I realized that Amazon actually stocks a really great olive oil at a lower price than anywhere else I've found. It is this Zoe olive oil. We do the Subscribe and Save option, which actually makes it about $17 for two liters. For us, this is about one months worth of olive oil, so I have the delivery set to that frequency. The olive oil arrives at our door automatically every month. Even better, I turn my Swagbucks in for $5 Amazon gift cards, which means that I rarely pay the full $17 for olive oil each month. Besides the fact that the price is great, this is some great-tasting olive oil. If we run out early and I buy a small bottle of oil from the store I can definitely taste the difference.
Along the same lines, we also usually make our own yogurt. Because Chris cooks a lot of Middle Eastern foods and I drink yogurt smoothies daily in the summer, we use a lot of yogurt. I'm picky and won't buy yogurt that has anything but cultured milk in it, which eliminates most of the less expensive brands that contain corn starch. We also particularly love Greek yogurt, which is even more expensive. Because of this, it makes sense for us to make our own yogurt, particularly when it is so easy. We use these instructions for crock pot yogurt. The times listed there are a bit off because we use a 6 quart crock pot and about a gallon and a half of milk. It takes us about 12-18 hours from start to finish, but the amount of actual effort involved is minimal, especially with a thermometer that has an alarm. The difference in cost between a gallon of milk and a quart of yogurt is enough that it is worth it for us to make our own yogurt.
In your house, the items with the biggest return might be different. Maybe your family doesn't do yogurt, but they eat a lot of bread. In that case it might be worth it for you to make bread from scratch and buy the yogurt. We rarely eat bread, so when we want some we buy a loaf of good whole wheat bread. If your family eats three boxes of cereal each week, it may be worth looking into making granola from scratch.
Everyone is different, and its no secret that cooking from scratch takes more time than buying a product. However, its generally less expensive for better quality. Figure out which things you use often enough to make it worth the time to make it instead of buying, then focus on those things. If you can find a better price on one of your big ticket items, this will free up your grocery money for other things.

I'm back at the quilting again, although its all in pieces so I don't have any pictures. One of my goals this year is to finish ONE quilt. Since it took me a bit over 2 years to finish my sister's quilt, I figure that's a reasonable goal. I had the main fabric and now that's all cut out. Chris and I went to the fabric store today to get what I needed for the background, so once I get that cut I can start piecing things together (once we un-bury the sewing machine). Besides that, I also have four different ideas for scrap quilts, so I'm collecting bits and pieces for those as well. I sorted through my fabric collection yesterday and broke it down into some manageable boxes, and was setting aside scrap pieces as I went along. Today I spent some time cutting them to size and separating them into gallon Ziploc bags so that I can just add more fabric as I create scraps. I have pieces for one, and possibly two, ticker tape quilts although my scraps are larger than the ones they seem to be using. I'm also collecting long strips for a string quilt, but I can't find the picture that goes with the directions I remember. Besides all of that, I'm slowly collecting squares for an I Spy quilt, but that will be an ongoing project for a while I think since I want to make it out of 2" squares. All in all, I'd say I have more than enough projects to keep me busy for quite a while.

Lay it Aside

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Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Source: Streams in the Desert
Scripture Reference: Hebrews 12:1

Satan's Tools
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and, let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1).
There are weights which are not sins in themselves, but which become distractions and stumbling blocks in our Christian progress. One of the worst of these is despondency. The heavy heart is indeed a weight that will surely drag us down in our holiness and usefulness.
The failure of Israel to enter the land of promise began in murmuring, or, as the text in Numbers literally puts it, "as it were murmured." Just a faint desire to complain and be discontented. This led on until it blossomed and ripened into rebellion and ruin. Let us give ourselves no liberty ever to doubt God or His love and faithfulness to us in everything and forever.
We can set our will against doubt just as we do against any other sin; and as we stand firm and refuse to doubt, the Holy Spirit will come to our aid and give us the faith of God and crown us with victory.
It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubting, fretting, and wondering if God has forsaken us and if after all our hopes are to end in failure. Let us refuse to be discouraged. Let us refuse to be unhappy. Let us "count it all joy" when we cannot feel one emotion of happiness. Let us rejoice by faith, by resolution, by reckoning, and we shall surely find that God will make the reckoning real.--Selected
The devil has two master tricks. One is to get us discouraged; then for a time at least we can be of no service to others, and so are defeated. The other is to make us doubt, thus breaking the faith link by which we are bound to our Father. Lookout! Do not be tricked either way.--G.E.M.
Gladness! I like to cultivate the spirit of gladness! It puts the soul so in tune again, and keeps it in tune, so that Satan is shy of touching it--the chords of the soul become too warm, or too full of heavenly electricity, for his infernal fingers, and he goes off somewhere else! Satan is always very shy of meddling with me when my heart is full of gladness and joy in the Holy Ghost.
My plan is to shun the spirit of sadness as I would Satan; but, alas! I am not always successful. Like the devil himself it meets me on the highway of usefulness, looks me so fully in my face, till my poor soul changes color!
Sadness discolors everything; it leaves all objects charmless; it involves future prospects in darkness; it deprives the soul of all its aspirations, enchains all its powers, and produces a mental paralysis!
An old believer remarked, that cheerfulness in religion makes all its services come off with delight; and that we are never carried forward so swiftly in the ways of duty as when borne on the wings of delight; adding, that Melancholy clips such wings; or, to alter the figure, takes off our chariot wheels in duty, and makes them, like those of the Egyptians, drag heavily.

I'm sure Murphy's Law states somewhere that good blogging ideas will ONLY come to me when I have NO chance at getting them written down or retained in any way. To be precise, they usually come to me when I'm in the car. Occasionally I'll try to jot one down in my handy dandy mileage notebook, but depending on exactly what sort of driving I'm doing that can be a chancy proposition and I try to avoid it. So most of the good ideas get relegated to the land of "I sure hope I remember this later" which of course I don't.
We have family in town. Chris' mom, 2 aunts, a cousin and her little boy. The boy is about 15 months and insanely cute. He also seems to adore me for some reason that I can't fathom. It's their annual spring break trip out here, although I do have to admit everyone seems to be taking it a bit easier than usual. Generally whenever we go over his aunt's house there are at least 3 sewing machines running at any given time and they all sew long into the night. It was actually during one of these so-called vacations that I learned to sew. That was the same year I broke my aunt's 1/4" foot. She was NOT happy about that. Anyways, it's usually a great time for me to get some work done on whatever my current project is but this year they seem to be spending more time visiting every quilting store in the valley. Their project this year is machine applique, which I think I'd like to learn once I finish what I'm working on. Only problem is finding a project that isn't flowers or homestead-y looking- yeah, Chris' aunts and I have different tastes. Granted, that is once I finish the quilt I'm currently working on. Judging from the fact that I'm still cutting pieces and haven't bought background fabric yet I'd say I have a while to go. One of my goals this year was to finish one quilt, so I guess I'd better actually work on it periodically. Granted, I have no idea what I'll actually do with it when I finish it, but I'm sure something will present itself.

My Life for Yours

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference:

My Life for Yours
About ten years ago, a young Canadian woman sat in the assembly hall at the University of Illinois in Urbana, along with seventeen thousand other students attending InterVarsity's missionary convention. She thrilled to the singing of the great hymns, led by Bernie Smith. She heard the peakers. "I remember the incredible excitement and desire to know and serve God that I experienced at that time. Now I have walked through some deep waters, and I feel compelled to write to you," her letter to me said. She had read two of my books just before the convention, and I happened to have been among the speakers. Another was Helen Roseveare, author of Give Me This Mountain and other books. At the time, Barbara was especially moved by the thought of the cost of declaring God's glory. Her letter told me this story:
Three years after Urbana she married Gerry Fuller, "a wonderful man who demonstrated zeal for Christ, a passion for souls, a beautiful compassion for hurting, broken people who needed to know the healing love of Jesus Christ." Following seminary and student pastorates, he became a prison chaplain and an inner-city missionary. Then he married Barbara and together they worked in Saint John, New Brunswick, with street kids, ex-convicts, and glue-sniffers.
The time came when Barbara saw Gerry seeking the Lord with such great intensity it made her question her own commitment to Christ. Was she prepared to die to self as he was? What was it that drove him to pray as he did--at least once until four in the morning? Was her own love for the Lord as deep as his, or was it perhaps shadowed by her love for her husband?
Gerry had a nephew named Gary, "a quiet guy with an artistic nature and talents that had been squelched as a child, leaving him very insecure, undisciplined." He couldn't hold down a job, got in trouble with the law. When relatives consented to his using their vacation cottage, a neighboring cottage was broken into. The owner called Gerry to say that his gun had been taken; Gary was the prime suspect, but they didn't want to call the police until they'd called Gerry.
Gerry was "scared stiff," but knew what he had to do the next day; put his whole trust in God, go to the cottage, try to persuade his nephew to turn himself in. He and Barbara went to bed.
Next morning when they prayed together he asked the Holy Spirit especially to strengthen Barbara in raising little Josh and Ben. Should she go with him to see Gary? She was relieved that his answer was no--"If anything happens to him, the children will need me," was the thought that flashed into her mind.
Gerry said goodbye. Barbara fasted, prayed, cared for the little boys, worked in the garden, waited. All day she waited. He did not come. Oh well, Gerry was always late for everything. No doubt they were deep in conversation. He had tried so often to help Gary. Lord, may He help him now.
At last the sound of a car. Eagerly Barbara looked up from her weeding. It was the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She froze, then fell to the ground sobbing. Gerry was dead. But looking up at the bewildered faces of her sons, four and two years old, she pulled herself together, took their little hands, and told them Daddy was with Jesus and they wouldn't see him again for a long time. "From that point on there was the sense of being carried through the whole dream-like event. God surrounded me with His presence and an overwhelming sense that 'It's all right.' I knew He was in charge."
The murder was a deliberate act. Gary is serving a life sentence in a penitentiary with some who were led to Christ through Gerry's witness. They loved Gerry, but for love of his Lord they have forgiven his killer. A number of lives have been changed as a result of his testimony, but "in spite of the good things that came of his death there is always the WHY," Barbara writes. "As you say, we must let God be God. It's hard to explain, though, to a tired three-year-old when he wails, 'I miss Daddy!'
"One of my greatest blessings and comforts came as a surprise about six weeks after my husband's death when I discovered that I was pregnant with a baby conceived the eve of his homegoing. And how like the Lord and His perfect timing to present me with a beautiful child on Easter Sunday--the girl I had prayed for. Her name is Marah Grace and it is by God's grace that she has made my bitter wafers sweet.
"People say I am brave, but I don't see any great bravery in walking through one of the difficult experiences of life. God is the One who strengthens us at the time for the things we must face. My greatest fear was the fear of losing Gerry, but when the time came God swooped under me as a great bird and carried me on eagle's wings above the storm.
"So that is my story. I wanted to share it with you--I feel somewhat akin to you. My husband went in obedience to God, well aware of the danger, and laid down his life for Christ's sake. My task is to follow that example and to instill in my children the values Gerry and I shared: the supreme value of knowing Jesus Christ and serving Him with our whole selves."
Thank you, dear Barbara, for being one more faithful witness to a wholly faithful and sovereign Lord. Like Jim Elliot, Gerry knew that "he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." He would have understood the motto of the Coast.

Writing Prompt: about writing

Writing with pen or pencil, typewriter or computer. What is best for you?

Another prompt pulled from my list with the help of the Random Number Generator. Its been long enough that I don't even know where that list of writing prompts came from. There are over 600 of them on my list- I think I culled them from a lot of different sources. And that's still not nearly as bad as my collection of quotes. Probably 60 pages worth. I used to use them for typing practice.
Anyways, the prompt. Since I love to write, this one is appropriate. Between pen or pencil, my obvious choice is for pen. Pencil smudges all over my hand (I'm a lefty), and I don't like the way pencils squeak on paper. Although I am picky about my pens. I only like these ball point pens. They can be tough to find though- I tend to pick up a pack whenever I see them for a decent price. I write enough for work that I actually run them out of ink before I lose or break them. I don't like the gel ink ones- they always smudge, and I hate cheap BIC pens- they never write well for me.
Between typewriter and computer, the choice is also easy. Although I have used a typewriter (I think my mom may still have her electric one), I'm a child of the computer (albeit the first generation).
Now between pen and paper and the computer the choice is a bit more difficult. I love journalling on pen and paper, but it is a habit that I haven't managed to keep up. When I was in college I journaled voraciously. I filled about 13 spiral bound journals in 4 years of school. Unfortunately, I've managed to fill about one and a half in the 5 (almost 6) years since graduation. It isn't that I don't like to journal any more, I've just sort of fallen out of the habit. 'Course I used to take sermon notes in my journal too, but that's more difficult since we aren't going to church regularly at the moment. Another problem with journaling is that my hand gets tired quickly. It isn't from lack of practice writing- I hand-write my notes every day for work. Still the best way for me to think is with a pen in my hand. I used to find it difficult to think and type at the same time, but thankfully that has gotten better and I can compose my thoughts pretty well at the computer. There's just something about putting pen to paper that I miss though. Besides, actually finishing my spiral bound journals would give me an excuse to get new ones since I still have a few waiting to be used.

Fluxx...the game with changing rules

In our never-ending quest for games that play well with two people, Chris and I have played a lot of games. However, Fluxx is one that we keep coming back to. We've played it on our own, and its also a great filler game at the hobby shop since its a fairly fast game. We've played nearly every version there is, including the standard version. We have tried Zombie Fluxx, Martian Fluxx,and Monty Python Fluxx. We own the standard version of Fluxx, and bought another copy as a birthday gift for a friend.
This game is very easy to learn and understand. It starts with one simple rule- draw one card, then play one card. The object of the game is to get a collection of "keepers" in front of you that matches the current goal. The trick is that the rules are constantly changing, or in flux. The number of cards that you can draw, play, or have in your hand changes, as does the number of keepers that you can have out at any time. Besides that, the goal also changes frequently. A game of Fluxx can be over in 5 minutes or go on for a half hour or more. There are a few other minor rules, but those are the basics. Each version of Fluxx has its own quirks- I think Zombie Fluxx is my personal favorite although there are a few too many Zombies to go around when there are only two players. Monty Python Fluxx was difficult because a card came out requiring everyone to speak in a phony French accent and that got old quickly. The original version of Fluxx is probably the best balanced for two people since there are only a few Creepers.
Overall, Fluxx is a funny game that is easy to learn and endlessly replayable. Serious gamers may not like the lack of strategy here, but it is nice when everyone is on a level playing field.

Nothing Too Hard

Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Source: Streams in the Desert
Scripture Reference: Genesis 18:14

Nothing is Too Hard
"Is there anything too hard for Jehovah?" (Gen. 18:14).
Here is God's loving challenge to you and to me today. He wants us to think of the deepest, highest, worthiest desire and longing of our hearts, something which perhaps was our desire for ourselves or for someone dear to us, yet which has been so long unfulfilled that we have looked upon it as only a lost desire, that which might have been but now cannot be, and so have given up hope of seeing it fulfilled in this life.
That thing, if it is in line with what we know to be His expressed will (as a son to Abraham and Sarah was), God intends to do for us, even if we know that it is of such utter impossibility that we only laugh at the absurdity of anyone's supposing it could ever now come to pass. That thing God intends to do for us, if we will let Him.
"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Not when we believe in Him enough to go forward and do His will, and let Him do the impossible for us. Even Abraham and Sarah could have blocked God's plan if they had continued to disbelieve.
The only thing too hard for Jehovah is deliberate, continued disbelief in His love and power, and our final rejection of His plans for us. Nothing is too hard for Jehovah to do for them that trust Him --Messages for the Morning Watch