45 minutes of fame

this morning, my friend and co-worker, laura, and i were interviewed on a local radio station regarding heart healthy eating and national healthy eating day. it was a really early morning for us both, but loads of fun to be interviewed and answer questions from local callers. the call topics included: top fruits and vegetables, pesticides, fried chicken intake, and grocery store fruit prices. my favorite part was when a man called in about colon cleansing. definitely not an expert on that one so we just refered him to ask his physician. sometimes you just have to hit the abort button.

turkey burger recipe

so i haven't been all that inspired to write as of late, what with the heart walk monster gobbling up my entire life for 3 months and then the subsequent detox that i fear i haven't come out of as of yet. there have been some great strides in my life as of late that i hope to share soon. but as for now, i want to get back to the blogging world. maybe pick up a few more followers, but honestly be a steward of the creative juices that may be. i want to redirect this blog to house several of my ideas, thoughts and favorite things, not just my writing. with this move, i hope to be able to blog more versus waiting in the wings for some magical cue for literary inspiration.

speaking of juices, i want to share with you a great recipe i made up last night for the juciest turkey burgers ever (FOR-E-VER....thanks sandlot). if you know me, you know i love to cook and try out new things. my whole family does and i guess i am trying to keep the trend consistent. i had a friend over for an impromptu dinner which yielded a great recipe. i like using turkey because it is leaner, but this most certainly can be made with beef. measurements will not be accurate, so let your olfactory senses guide the way!

turkey burgers

1 lb turkey meat (i get 50% fat free. the 99% fat free is just too dry. get more meat if you want bigger burgers!)
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup bread crumbs (for binding)
half an onion, diced (i like vidalia, but maybe i'm partial)
healthy dash of red wine (this is the secret to major juicy heaven)
cheese of choice
pinch of salt
fresh cracked pepper

:::the main register to know the amount of ingredients is correct is by your nose. if it smells too salty, put more bread crumbs in. if it doesn't smell strong enough, add more worcestershire sauce. make it your own, to your tastes! for me, i love lots of worcesterhire and heaps of fresh cracked pepper.:::


mix all ingredients in a medium bowl by hand. take the side of your hand to score the meat into 4 parts to make sure your patties will be a consistent size. take 1/4 of meat and make into a patty. hint: make the center thinner (to be shaped like a blood cell) to make them cook flat and not into a ball. repeat with remaining meat. in skillet, heat olive oil (i love gia russa extra virgin olive oil) on medium for frying purposes. when olive oil begins to ripple, crack fresh ground pepper in the oil to enhance flavor. place the 4 patties in olive oil to cook. flip when you see half the meat cooked up the side. cooking time about 10 minutes (5 minutes/side). do not press the burgers down with spatula or the juices will burst out! once done, place cheese of choice (i like a spreadable swiss cheese by laughing cow) on burger (while still on skillet) and allow to melt. remove from skillet when cheese is melted. dress as you wish. enjoy!

pass it on

i had to pass this blog onto you fine folks...it's a funny post about what's it's like to be single in the Christian arena. i'm very confident i could add about 78 more points to this post!


http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/06/550-surviving-church-as-single.html

types and shadows

every first wednesday and sunday of the month, my church does communion. now, many of you may know that i am part of the worship team, therefore i get to participate in a plethora of these services, as we have multiple meeting times on sundays. that being said, i have a lot to think about during each time i see and experience this most wonderful representation and remembrance of what Jesus did once for all. watching the faces of the repentant, acutely aware of a sacrifice of which we are all unworthy. a beautiful sight to behold no doubt. the communion example is recorded a handful of times within the gospels, but my favorite was logged by luke.

we see this gathering of devoted, radical men took place during passover. a time at which the jews celebrate the angel of death "passing over" the jewish nation in egypt and subsequent exodus. i believe our Lord to be extremely strategic and at this instance, He shows that clearly. He picked a time of the year where the nation of Israel is remembering a time where God's mercy was incomprehensible and His plan unforgettable. a time when death passed over a nation...not because they deserved it, but because He's a man of His Word. how quickly i forget that sacrifice and that i too am passed over.

however, many of you may not know that the wine and bread scenario was not something foreign to this jewish brigade of brigands. but they have tasted and seen this "tradition" every friday at sundown of their lives. you see, every shabbat (or sabbath) the observant jewish household is called to rest because of the fourth commandment. and by this, God mapped out how to begin this time of observance. the mother would say a blessing over the house as she lit the candles, the father would say the blessing over the wine, and then say a blessing over the bread. this time is something that looks much like our communion tradition today, however on the "original" communion day, Jesus had another idea. He skillfully took His beloved disciples through a time that they were very familiar with. the blessing of the wine and bread. the passover. the sabbath. yet, what He was showing (and what we oftentimes miss in our communion services) is that He was showing us the new covenant in a deep, meaningful way. breathing life into this type and shadow. He was taking something old and familiar and making it have a story far beyond the sabbath blessing. He was showing how He was going to redeem the World...taking from the old and making it new. or a better version of the Old. He was also saying as I redeem what's old, remember to Rest. for that is why He died. that is why He allowed us to be passed over. that is why He lives today. that we may rest in Him forever.

my friends, remember that our Lord is a Redeemer. remember that He takes from the old and makes it new. remember that He calls us to rest. not in what we can establish or figure out or create. but in His shadow.

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam...

remedy

so i've been thinking about this whole love thing. i really haven't had much to write about in the blogging world because i've been chewing so much on the below post. and where chewing on an idea for long renders it tasteless, meditating on love has yielded something deep. something that is moving me. loving, not to be loved, but because we are called to. loving with no expectations. it's a scary thought to this poor heart, but something the Lord has been challenging me with. touche!

with that said, i have another thought that developed yesterday. here's the part where i would love to have comments if there were more than three readers to my blog. i digress. as i was pondering why we as broken, hurting human beings build walls to those around us, several questions formed. is it protection? is it assumption? is it fear? is it habit? a recipe of all four ingredients? and what do our logical minds think will benefit us from said wall building?

all this pondering reminds me of the walls of jerusalem. one of the more beautiful sights i have ever seen. they were built post 70AD destruction and remain to this day. they are a signpost of wars gone by, however remaining amongst an ancient city riddled with wars and rumors of wars (matthew 24:6). so here you have a city with walls built to protect, yet you have an enemy that has outgrown the city's meager, antiquated tactics for defiance. and the barricades remain.

translate this to your own heart. building battlements in memory of previous wounds and in preparation for potential blows. we, as citizens of the fallen world, are taught to protect or be killed. and at whatever cost. yet i see how (as i have mistakenly believed i am my sole protector) i have in fact become it's prisoner. you see, as i have manufactured ramparts, i have carelessly surrounded myself and become captive in my own deception. i, like countless others, have built walls for an enemy whose arsenal cannot be ceased. battlements that are more tourist attraction than buffer.

insert Jesus. the One who speaks of love without fear. love without hope for return. just love. what a freeing thought...to relegate your protection to The Protector and just love as He did. with no thought or expectation of love, pride, rejection in return. to the One whose name is Warrior. i want to love like that. love like Him. and in turn, grasp the hand to take me out of the den to a new kind of encounter with Him and with others.

and in doing so, i have realized the salve for years of heartache is not to retreat, build walls, or lay prostrate, but to love more. the very opposite of what all your intelligence is relaying. to surprise your enemy with a new weapon. an ageless, defenseless weapon that is always sharp. always on target. always His.

"There is no remedy for love but to love more."
Henry David Thoreau

looks like love

"I wont run when it looks like love
I won’t hide beneath the fear
Of how my past has come undone"

"Looks Like Love" by needtobreathe


it has come to my attention as of late that in each personal relational style there is harbored a link to the past. now for what you might know of me, i'm not so into the whole "let's dig up all our past wounds and nurse them all the while gaining new wounds and have to do it again" movement...BUT i am a proponent of when the Holy Spirit awakens your heart to a place where He wants to smooth. the past couple months have been a glorious yet revealing time in my heart where the Holy Spirit has shed light on some habits i've so carefully swept under the proverbial rug.

knowing that this will be an unending cycle, i have actually taken off the big girl pants and become like a child. and it has been an adventure of the heart. i actually go through circumstances with the Lord rather than slap a few memory verses on the issue like a bandaid. done! move on! yet the Lord has so generously given me a crucible as to which i have been broken on. broken to feed more people.

what i am trying to communicate is that i have fear of love. a fear that has been covertly crippling the way i communicate with and love others. the masks. the shame. the wounds. they are very real, yet my God says He is bigger.

so now i have chosen to trust the Lord. trust Him as my protector. my provider. my saviour. what if i actually say what i mean and *gasp* people know what i am really feeling? what an astounding point! what a revelation! now to you it might be small potatoes but to this gal, it's big time.

insert lyrics from needtobreathe. i was riding in my car, windows down of course, and their song "looks like love" came on the shuffle. and that was it....they read my mail. it's a challenge to the heart and a bane to the ego. one of which i long to face with the Lord's help. and help He will.

i am thankful for a saviour who is patient and always good. i am thankful for the Author of Love kissing me first. teaching me. i am thankful. hopeful. His.

selah.

"There is no fear in love, for Perfect Love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18

sun

there are few things i love more than good weather, brown skin, warm water, engaging book and good music. yes, i am speaking of that illustrious day of laying out by the pool (or any body of water for that matter). as i was getting ready this morning, my roommate invited me to spend a day o' sunnin' with her and her friend. um, yes please! i cannot even describe to you the freedom that jumped in my heart as i thought about tomorrow's beautiful day of nothing. and with so much that has hopped on my plate and into my vision, this gift of a wonderful day has already given me hope for good things.

if you know me in the slightest, you know i am a perpetual deep thinker which oftentimes yields itself more trouble than it's worth. i envy those blogs out there which seem so carefree and jovial. i envy the people behind the crafty words of wit and humor. so tomorrow, i'm taking a "i-think-too-much-help-me-for-the-love" break and allowing this mind to lounge. to read magazines with little to no thought. to laugh at nothing. to take a vacation of the mind while my skin begins it's heralded trip to brown-dom.

bring it on sun. bring it on life.