Lunch!

My husband made this for lunch today and it was fabulous- be jealous ladies. I think he used vegetable stock instead of water, and we used Kale for the greens- I highly suggest you try this tonight!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/health/nutrition/26recipehealth.html?ref=lentils&_r=0

I joined a Co-op and other interesting tidbits from my day

We signed up for a co- op yesterday. I suggest every one do that.
1) Since you buy the big box of produce, you feel obligated to eat it, whereas if it's up to me I may buzz through the grocery store, grab apples and bananas for the week and call it good. 2) it gives you a variety of locally grown, organic produce, and you may end up actually trying things you never have before (gasp) because it's in season. 3) you spend that money anyway, why not spend it supporting local farmers? So while I am not doing this to lose weight (breast feeding is taking care of that for me, thank you very much), I am going to keep track of the healthy side effects of this "eating more fruits and veggies" phase and I promise to share my results with you. My husband might even become one of my scientific experiments (Shhh)

Here is the link to our co-op if you are interested:
http://urbanorganicsok.com/produce

Now don't be intimidated by this new, über healthy me- I am writing this as I finish a quarter pounder from McDonalds. But like many new habits, they begin with baby steps. So if that quarter pounder happens to motivate me to eat a pound of bok choy tonight, then I am still better off for it. Eventually I will have so many fruits and veggies in my tummy, I won't have any room for anything else, right?

In other news, baby #2 has learned to roll over and I expect he will be crawling shortly. I try not to think about how it will be to have 2 mobile children under the age of 2.

Baby #1 is successfully sleeping in a toddler bed at night and surprisingly that wasn't really a difficult transition- for him anyway. Mom and dad cry almost every night because it's hard to see babies grow up so fast.

Finally, after working a 12 hour day +being on call overnight my husband will be on vacation as of Friday morning. Wonder what kind of shenanigans we will get ourselves into? Can't wait to find out.

Tea, Scones, and Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura: the doctrine that states that the Scriptures contain all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. What do I think about this?

Yes, the Bible DOES tell us the way to salvation. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourself; it is a gift of God so that no man may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. But it doesn't take a whole book to explain that simple concept.

Yes, the Bible does provide guidelines for us to live a holy, Christian life. It may take a whole book to begin to explain how to do this because there are so many variables.

But is that all there is?

I don't think so.

Why is the bible study business booming? According to Sola Scriptura, we shouldn't need those, right? They cause us to contemplate issues that may pertain to our modern daily lives. They may deal with issues grounded in scriptures, but they are not Scripture, so by this standard we can't use tools or conversations to help us understand Biblical subjects or enrich our lives. It is up to us, the reader to interpret what the Bible is telling us and stick to it.

Um, why would we want all that pressure? I don't.

It bothers me when I hear people bashing the Catholic Church over issues that they are not fully informed about. No, the Catholic Church is not Sola Scriptura. Does the Catholic Church have some secret scroll hidden deep in the Vatican that states that there is actually a different way to obtain salvation other than by simply accepting the grace of God? Nope.

So what does this mean?

Perhaps Salvation doesn't occur simply in that one moment that we first chose to accept God's grace and forgiveness. Maybe it happens on a daily basis because, believe it or not, we sin daily and God extends his grace to us daily if we choose to accept it. So if this is the case, it looks like "asking Jesus into your heart" (I uses that term somewhat flippantly because it is such an inaccurate portrayal of how God's grace is a constant renewal to our spirits) may not be all there is to it.

Lamentations 3:22-23

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

²³ They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

We know that faith and works go hand in hand:

James 2:26

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

If you truly have faith and are allowing Christ to live through you, that will be obvious in your works. If that isn't obvious through your works then it's time to do some soul searching. And if you are out feeding the poor everyday but not allowing God to do His work in your life, again, time for some serious re-evaluation.

So if you can't have faith without works, doesn't it stand to reason that obtaining Salvation is a two part process? The first and most important step is that you must accept the grace of God. But after we do that, we MUST do His works. So in order to be an effective, holy Christian we need BOTH. They are not mutually exclusive, they go hand in hand. So if you accept the grace of God but you are not constantly applying that to situations in your life by being the hands and feet of Christ on Earth, you may or may not be truly saved (that is only for God to say), but you will certainly not be living the fullness of Christ's redemption here on earth.  I would argue that the full definition of salvation is not simply being saved from eternity in Hell, but is   a combination of that AND the ability to live powerful, full, Christ centered lives here on earth. So because I don't want to settle for the basics, I suppose I can't follow the doctrine of Sola Scriptura either.
 I do believe every word in the Bible is true and squarely plants us on the path to salvation and holiness. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

But why would we reject so many years of tradition passed down through the Catholic church? These oral traditions may not appear in Scripture, but they were passed down from the apostles, those whom Jesus trusted to spread His message of hope after His ascension. So why wouldn't we listen to the wisdom of those who walked and talked with Jesus? They don't provide an alternate route to salvation, they only provide bits of encouragement and enrich our lives on the journey.  Paul did write to Timothy that the church is the pillar of truth, so why would we not accept all the beautiful things that have been passed down through it just because they don't appear in the Bible?

I Timothy 3:14-15

 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that,  if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 

Notice he said the church was the pillar of truth, and he called Scripture a "useful tool."

If God didn't trust the Church to really carry out His plans on earth, then why on earth did He leave? 

Food for thought.

Fall! Oh, Me!

I have never invested in so much pumpkin purée in my life as I have this Fall. And it's only October 15. This is what I made last night.


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

http://kirbiecravings.com/2011/10/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-3.html

Enjoy!

Oh, and like all things pumpkin, these become exponentially tastier as the days go by. They are like little puffy pumpkin clouds that taste better the day AFTER you make them. And the day after that, if they last that long.

Purgatory Anyone?

Sooo...

It's a pretty interesting feeling when you realize that the education that you received in private Christian school provided you with an oh-so biased and extremely narrow view of Christianity. Am I the only one that had World History classes portraying Catholics as the scary bad guys? Yes, there were scary bad Catholics. Obviously taking advantage of people's fear of hell in order to make a buck is bad. Very bad. So is going to funerals of American soldier's and protesting in the name of God. Very bad. This is the unfortunate truth about humanity. We are an imperfect reflection of Christ. The works that God does through us may be used to bring about His perfect will, but people will always see the stupid human things that we do that distract from that. Like being arrogant, judgmental and unforgiving. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that before the Protestant Reformation in 1517, there was only one Christian church. The Catholic Church. Which was simply a continuation of the body of believers instituted by Christ and his teachings. How many of you know what "Catholic" means? The word means "universal". Which pretty much summed up what the Christian church was at that time. United. Universal.
Although instituted by God, the church was being run by humans and for humans, and it was inevitable that at some point between the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and the Protestant Reformation, someone would do something dumb and human to mar the reputation of the church. (Like trying to sell indulgences and the 94 other things that Martin Luther referenced in his Theses) The church ultimately should be the spotless Bride of Christ, the hands and feet of Christ on Earth. And it is these things. But it is also made up of people that try to sell indulgences. So began the fragmentation of the Church. And it hasn't stopped. I'm pretty sure there is a new denomination every time I inhale.

  I am a prime example of the fact that faith begins in the home. Because of the faith foundation that my parents provided me with, I was able to cling to Christ (who truly is enough) through some very confusing and unsure times. Times of learning and spiritual growth. I intend to make faith a foundational principal for my family in my home; doing that is the greatest gift I can give to my children (besides the whole giving birth to them thing)
I am not rejecting or even changing any of the beliefs that I held when I was attended a Baptist church. Although I have to admit that at the time that I attended that church I had not yet begun to consider the theological questions that I am now, so I didn't necessarily strongly adhere to its specific theological standards and was living on the "fumes" or "basics" of Christianity. Now that I am starting the journey to join the Catholic church, I am simply adding bricks to the foundation that was given to me so many years ago, not knocking it over and starting from scratch. Concepts like purgatory, confession, the honoring of Mary, and baptism aren't just now controversial. They have been debated and re-debated since the beginning of the church. I don't feel like writing a novel, so I'm not going to attempt to tackle any of those at this time, but as I study them more closely in coming weeks I may delve more deeply into them one at a time. Maybe.

   There are many churches out there that provide excellent foundations for the Christian faith. But do we really want to just settle for a foundation, or do we want to build the whole house? Hmm. Words to Ponder.  (Hee hee...inside joke that some of you will get) I am starting to realize that being an effective Christian requires you to do your history homework. Realizing the history of the church and understanding how the Catholic church can trace its traditions back to the apostles themselves is a very useful brick when building the aforementioned house.

  I have to admit there is something just awe inspiring about kneeling and praying in an old church. Looking at the artifacts, stained glass windows. It makes you feel like you have somehow slipped back in time. And in a way that it what you are doing. You are feeling the spiritual connection between you and your spiritual brothers and sisters of the past. It is comforting to observe that while so much has changed in the church in the last 2000 years, the teachings are the same. It's just so cool to feel like you have an actual historical connection to the church of the past. That is definitely something I never experienced in churches made to resemble a school gym. You know what I'm talking about. Hey, a building is a building, I know. The real church is the people that comprise it. However, I for one feel that it adds to the sacredness of the Sabbath when you feel like you are entering a special place; a place not like any other. A place full of history and beauty that we can pass on to future generations.

So I guess that is my rant for the day. Hope I didn't make too many people mad.
Toodles.

Dinner Tonight

Because this ah-mazing drizzly weather makes me want soup.


Taco Soup

1 lb ground turkey or 1 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 (1 ounce) package hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans (hot or regular)
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 ounce) can diced Mexican-style tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes (any flavor)

Directions:

1
Brown meat and onions and drain.
2
Mix ranch dressing and taco seasoning into meat.
3
Without draining, add all of the other ingredients.
4
Simmer 1 hour.

Hibernation

Today I feel as if I have awoken from a month long hibernation. No, not because it was winter, but because I was suffering from something much more cold and dark; Adult Life. As my husband (lovingly?) pointed out, I have a tendency to just "check out" when we are dealing with a particularly long stretch of unpleasantness (there are examples of this in my previous blog). When I am on top of my game, it's not unheard of for my house to be clean, dinner on the table, beds made, children bathed...yes, ALL in the same day! So I know I have the capacity to be super mom. However, if one thing throws a kink in my schedule ( like if my husband is MIA for a month straight due to work and eats and sleeps at random hours) then I can't seem to focus and/or muster the strenghth for anything more than just hanging on for dear life while insanity grabs the reigns. During this time my children remain safe, happy, and fed so I suppose I can add bonus points for that, right? For some odd reason, being a good home-maker is all or nothing for me. It's super mom or bust. WHY?
I don't mind working myself silly to have a clean house (not to mention clean undies) ready for my husband to come home to, but if I know he isn't coming home that day or have a really hard parenting day and I know I get to deal with all those poopy diapers and tantrums solo, for some reason my brain tells me that it's better just to lay on the couch and watch The Chew ( which has fabulous recipes that I sometimes utilize when life is going just peachy and I feel like cooking. Ok, I have used one recipie) rather than clean up just one of the many messes in my house. If I don't have energy to take care of it all I will take care of nothing. Does any one else have this problem?

Yesterday we took family pictures. We had yet to get pictures of Elliot (yes, he is almost 5 months old...second kid syndrome) and we needed new pictures of all of us. Can you say exhausting? My husband almost lost his mind and temper multiple times while Henry rolled around in the mud because we were taking artsy shots in the middle of a field...Then we had to pretend to be happy and sane for the pictures. Haa! Our photographer was oh-so patient though and I can't wait to see the pictures which I'm sure will be fabulous.

Yet again Oswald Chambers hit the nail on the head and I feel obligated to share:

"We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God's perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the people in the valley."