what Kenya smells like

I napped today, unintentionally, and after awhile I went to the kitchen to find dinner. I had just finished peeling a large grapefruit when Dad walked in, followed by Booker T., Dad's Kenyan student and a good friend. Dad announced that he wasn't going to work out after all he was going to dinner, and Booker T. said we were invited to come eat Kenyan.

I abandoned my grapefruit and got ready, hurriedly, and went with Dad and Booker T. to the land of the unknown. As we neared the house, on an unforeseen adventure, as it were, Booker T. exclaimed oh, I smell Kenya. And so did I. We took off our shoes at the back door and walked into a house full of LeTourneau students and delectably spicy foreign aromas. Some of the people who grew up in Kenya had prepared dinner, calling their moms for the authentic recipes and getting them to send the necessary spices.

And we were indoctrinated into the mysteries of Kenyan food, and it was unbelievable, in the best possible way.

Booker T. was delighted to be not only eating Kenyan, but playing tour guide and tutor. He thoroughly explained what everything was and how we ought to eat it, and was quite encouraging as we attempted to do so. We ate beef stew and ugali, which is thick cooked cornmeal, greens and tortillas, ditching the flatware and scooping it up with our fingers, sopping up the juice with ugali and licking our well-flavored fingertips. I paid attention to the tutorial and so ate it like a Kenyan would have, albeit less skilfully, but was nonetheless congratulated on my skills at eating soup with my fingers.

I achieved the impossible; I ate soup with my fingers. It's rather sad that I have been so thoroughly ingrained in my American notions that I find forks and spoons absolutely necessary, and that the notion of spoonless soup-eating never even crossed my mind as a possibility. Thus it was refreshing to do something so completely different than anything I'm used to doing.

The food was incredible, well-spiced and aromatic, with bold, sweet chai and mandazis to go with. I haven't eaten so well in ages. My mom is quite a good cook, but this was incredible. Hours later, I'm still quite full, and though my hands are washed, on my fingers lingers the smell of Kenya, warm and spicy.

the Thanksgiving post

I know. It's a vastly original and unique title.

As usual, Dad and the boys and I watched the Macy's parade and played parade bingo. We've watched the parade every year for as long as I can remember. This year, however, I slept through two-thirds of it.

The guys raked leaves while Mom cooked and I washed dishes. We ate our big meal off the Haviland china that belonged to my great-grandmother. We cleaned up, enjoyed Drew's trademark pumpkin pie (with a cheesecake layer and streusel topping--he wins contests with that pie) and some really nice coffee, then played games and watched It's a Wonderful Life.

And as much as I like our family traditions, that wasn't my favorite part of the day.

The best part was just being with the amazing family that God has blessed me with. And we're not perfect, but it's better that way.

Being at home this week has been wonderful. I've gotten to "jump" on the trampoline (more like "I've been flung so high on the trampoline that I feared for my life") and go running with Drew. I've gotten to dance with Daniel. I've gotten to talk with Dad and laugh a lot. I've gotten to spend time with Mom, talking and telling stories.

I've also gotten to sleep in every day, organize my closet, and wash a lot of dishes (I assigned myself to kitchen patrol for the week), but that's hardly worth mentioning. Because it's a part of life, but not the important part.

Lately I've been thinking about how much relationships matter. Relationships are the important part of life.

In the gospel of Matthew, a man asks Jesus what the most important commandment is. This is Christ's reply:

"And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40

So everything rests on relationships. And it doesn't have to be as complicated as I often make it. Simply put, I need to love God first and then love those around me, first my family and then others. And that's how God is teaching me to live.

A couple weeks ago, I was reading online about a museum exhibit. It is a letter-writing station, where people come and write letters that they wish they had written while they had the chance. They write the things that should have been said years ago. They ask forgiveness. The exhibit gives them the opportunity to seek closure. And I suppose it's a good idea, but all I could think about while I was reading the article was "I don't want that to be me."

I don't want to find myself sitting at a desk in a museum ten or twenty years from now, writing a letter and wishing I hadn't missed all those opportunities that I was given. Wishing I had swallowed my pride and done the right thing. Wishing I had said what I needed to say. Wishing I had told people how much they meant to me. Wishing to go back.

I don't want that to be me. I don't want to live with regret like that. I don't want to waste the vast opportunities God has given me.

God is teaching me to value relationships. He's showing me how much I truly need Him (desperately) and He's helping me grow in our relationship. It's so exciting. I am simply blown away by Him.

Just think--the God who merely spoke and life sprang forth, the One who keeps the planets spinning and knows every star by name, the Sovereign Lord of Lords and King of Kings--He desires to know us. We, who are made from dust, whose lives are short and transient, like a vapor in the wind. He wants to know us. And He sent His Son that we might know Him. He heals our hearts and--get this--he invites us to share in His purposes. He invites us to be His hands and feet, bringing His life to a broken and dying world.

It's not like He needs our help.

He just loves us that much.

So He's drawing me near. And it's amazing.

God is also teaching me to value relationships with others. When I first started school, several people told me to make sure I had a social life apart from school. They said that academics are important, but not the most important thing. It was very good advice, and I needed to hear it.

The first two weeks of school were hard and overwhelming. Being in school for eight hours, then coming home with two hours of homework, was all completely new. For a while, I didn't really have a life. But I got over the culture shock and learned to balance school and life.

The second week of school, I spontaneously called a friend and we got discounted tickets to hear an opera singer. It was so much fun...I'm the only one in my family who likes opera, and my friend loves it. So we went to hear this amazing singer and then just walked and talked. I needed the break from school, and I so enjoyed spending that time with my friend. Now she is moving to Kentucky next month, and I am thankful that we got to share that experience, because we won't see each other again for a very long time. I'm glad we took the opportunity while we had the chance.

Lately I've been writing a lot of letters. And not just because of that article I read, but because I wanted to get back in touch with people before it's too late. And I love writing letters.

E-mail is convenient. It makes my life a lot easier. The instant communication is quite useful. Facebook is useful, too. It has helped me get in touch with people I haven't seen in years. (Unfortunately, Facebook can also be a very effective time-waster, at least for me, which is one reason I haven't logged on this week.) Telephone calls are great, too...

But there is nothing like a handwritten letter. To know that someone took the time to sit down and compose a personal letter, even writing by hand because they care about you, makes it all the more valuable. And in this day of advertisements and other postal clutter, unexpectedly finding a real letter in the mailbox is quite exciting (to me, anyway). William James said, "As long as there are postmen, life will have zest." And I'm inclined to agree.

Dear me, this post is long...anyway, that is what's been going on with me. God is teaching me to value relationships, and it is so good.

Going to make coffee and do homework, now.

Independence Day "Pocksickles"

On July 4th, we spent a very fun evening with these cuties....




And these beauties....


And a bunch of other friends. I was so blessed to just be able to hang out with friends. I really don't get that opportunity too often. We ate dinner and "pocksickles," talked and laughed, and played many rounds of Spoons and Scum. Our Independence Day couldn't have been better!

My favorite verse of our National Anthem:

"Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved home and war's desolation,
Bless'd with vict'ry and peace
May the Heav'n-prospered land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation.
And conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, "In God is our trust!"
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
When the land of the free is the home of the brave."

--Francis Scott Key

Good Friday: The Rescue was Accomplished

In their book When Heaven Weeps, Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes portray Christ's sacrifice from a new perspective. Picture this:

"The face that Moses begged to see--was forbidden to see--was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God sent to curse the earth's rebellion now twisted around his own brow...

" "On your back with you." One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier's heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner's wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier's life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do "all things hold together (Colossians 1:17)." The victim wills that the soldier live on--he grants the warriors continued existence. The man swings.

"As the man swings, the Son recalls how he and the Father first designed the medial nerve of the human forearm--the sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless--the nerves perform exquisitely. "Up you go!" They lift the cross. God is on display in his underwear and can scarcely breathe.

"But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other and growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day a foul odor began to waft, not around his nose, but around his heart. He feels dirty. Human wickedness starts to crawl on his spotless being--the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father's eye turns brown with rot.

"His Father! He must face his Father like this!

"From heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on the cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky. The Son does not recognize these eyes.

" "Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped--murdered, envied, hated, lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent, overeaten--fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled my Name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk--you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, [violating] virgins, acting smugly, [leading My sheep astray]--buying politicians, practicing exhortation, filming [filth], accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves--relishing each morsel and bragging about it all. I hate, loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?"

"Of course the Son is innocent. He is blamelessness itself. The Father knows this. But the divine pair have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place. Jesus will be treated as if personally responsible for every sin ever committed.

"The Father watches as his heart's treasure, the mirror-image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah's stored rage against humankind from every century exploded in a single direction.

" "Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!"

"But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply.

"The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished."

Matthew 25-27
Mark 14-15
Luke 22-23
John 18-19

The following video contains some video clips
from The Passion of the Christ
and may not be suitable for young audiences.





The Rescue was accomplished...and "I Love You" could not be said a better way.

Thank you, Lord..words are not enough.

Thanksgiving

Thanks giving. Giving thanks. The true reason for the holiday is expressed in those two words.

Do you not find this interesting--that in America, a country which has tried so hard to take Christ out of Christmas and God out of schools, a country which has turned from its Biblical foundations--that here in America, we still have a national holiday set aside to give thanks to God?

Thanksgiving. On this one day of the year set aside for giving thanks, we must pose this question: To WHOM are we giving thanks? One thing I've been thinking about lately is how unbelievers and atheists can celebrate this holiday. They may have plenty for which to be grateful, but to whom are they grateful? Do they thank their "lucky stars?" Do they just try to feel happy? This blows my mind. To celebrate a day of thanksgiving without knowing the One to whom we owe everything is one of the saddest things I can imagine.

To whom are we giving thanks? For those of us who are followers of Christ, the answer should be simple: we are giving thanks to God. But how often do we stop and sincerely give thanks to God? Oh, how often I am guilty of ungratefulness. On this day, I do take the time to give thanks. But when I compare this to God's Word, I find myself falling woefully short:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (I Timothy 5:16-18 ESV)

This verse doesn't say "give thanks only on November 22," or "give thanks only when everything goes your way." NO! Rather, we are to "give thanks in all circumstances." We are to give thanks when we don't feel like it, give thanks when we don't understand, give thanks when it seems like our lives are falling apart.

Wait! How on earth can we do this? I don't know about you, but I know I can't sincerely give thanks when someone I love is critically injured, or when I am really disappointed, or when I don't understand why things are happening, or when it seems like my life is falling apart. Nope, I am completely unable to give thanks in all circumstances. But it really doesn't matter that I can't do it. Why? Because Christ can do it in me!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(I Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

Yesterday I did not have English class, but I still had two assignments due. Picture this:

The weather is sunny, warm and bright, birds are singing, and my spirits are high as I walk to the library to complete my homework. I don't check the weather or bring a jacket. Mistake number one.

fast-forward one hour

In the library, I am getting slightly frustrated with complicated grammar terminology. Nevertheless, I'm getting through the assignments.

fast-forward one hour

I've come to the end of the test and have proceeded to the second writing assignment. Since the genre is creative writing and the only requirement is that the paper must contain twelve perfect parts of verbs, I decide to write it in poetry. Mistake number two.

fast-forward one hour

I have written a six-hundred word poem about an English mouse named Miss Priscilla. I count the verbs and realize I need to add six more. I also notice that I've used the same one four times. Mistake number three. I ask a friend from class if this is okay and find out that the assignment was to use twelve different parts of verbs. Choice: rewrite existing poem or add new stanzas incorporating the verbs. It seems easier to write more.

fast-forward thirty-five minutes

Still in the library, I'm agonizing over how to include the last two verbs. I'm freezing, my ears feel like they've been stuffed with sawdust, my throat feels like sandpaper, and I can't think of another relevant rhyme. Finally, I think of something doable and write it quickly, go to the print lab and print, staple, and turn it in to my teacher.

I start to walk home and find that it rained while I was in the library, the temperature has dropped drastically, and there is a chill wind whipping up. Shivery in my short-sleeved cotton shirt, I plod home despondently, wishing for hot lunch and a warm blanket. I remember all my good intentions and plans to be "truly thankful," and I pessimistically decide that they didn't and probably won't happen.

Frustrated, I jump over a puddle. Suddenly, the Lord brings this verse to mind: "give thanks in all circumstances..." I'm upset, and almost positive that I can't be thankful about anything in this situation. I feel sick, struggled for hours over a wretched poem I wish I'd never written, and feel like I'll starve and freeze by the time I get home. I ask God for help, and reason to myself that He wouldn't have commanded me to be thankful unless He was ready to help me do it. So, together, we find things for which to be thankful. I can be thankful that I am finally finished with the assignment. Thankful that I have this opportunity to learn, that I'm not wearing flip flops, that I don't have more assignments on Friday, and that I am finally headed home..just to name a few.

By the grace of God and in Him alone, I was able to give thanks for the many blessings which He has bestowed upon me. One thing God has been teaching me lately is this: God calls us to do things that we are completely unable to do. But He is ready and waiting to do the difficult tasks through us unto His glory, if we will surrender, obey, and become a willing vessel and a tool in His hand. Yesterday afternoon, He was thankful through me. I hope and pray that I will continue to learn what it means to "give thanks in all circumstances," and that God would work a spirit of continuous gratefulness into my heart.

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him; sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered...

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be held in awe above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.

Ascribe to the Lord, O clans of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness...

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

from 1 Chronicles 16 (ESV)

The Woman who brought us Thanksgiving

Written by Harold Ivan Smith

Most Americans associate Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims. Fifty-one survivors of the Mayflower gathered to celebrate after their first fall harvest. Governor William Bradford proclaimed it a day of thanksgiving.

But during the next century and a half, thanksgiving was an irregular celebration, varying from community to community, dependent at times upon the religious and political climates and the attitudes of individual governors.

Then the victory of the Americans over the British at Saratoga in October, 1777 prompted the Continental Congress to set aside December 18 as a day of thanksgiving and praise to be observed by all the colonies.

On September 28, 1863, Sarah Josepha Buell Hale wrote President Abraham Lincoln urging him to make the annual Thanksgiving “a national and fixed Union Festival.” By this time, she had built the circulation of her magazine, Godey’s Ladies Book to 150,000. Hale’s letter could not be ignored. Nor her editorials. Her annual Thanksgiving editorial in Godey’s opened with Nehemiah 8:10: “Then he said unto them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord; neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”
Hale argued, from her strong Episcopal faith, that if Nehemiah set aside a time of thanksgiving in a time of national stress, “in a time of national darkness and sore troubles, shall we not recognize the goodness of God never faileth, and that to our Father in heaven we should always bring the Thanksgiving offering at the ingathering of the harvest?”
Lincoln weighed the matter and decided that the timing was right for something that would promote national unity. He ordered Seward to draft the proclamation.

Early on October 3, Lincoln read the proclamation: “The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and helpful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”

Seward wrote, “No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gift of the most high God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

Lincoln commended Seward for a project “well done” and then focused on the last paragraph: “I do, therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

I found this on the girltalk blog.

Have a happy thanksgiving!