Waiting for Daylight

  Night is long. Seeming like an eternity that locks us on this earth. Night is for sorrow, for grief, for tears, for pain. It is when we wait in hope for something to dispel the darkness that presses against our  eyes. When we weep because the pain in our heart is overwhelming and we see with our soul's eye just how small we are. Unable to lift up our own burdens. Buried beneath the weight of life.
  Night is long, but it is not forever. Daylight will come to break the darkness. The morning will see hope realized and joy found. Happiness, maybe not.  But joy, deep and unwavering in the assurance that in the darkness God is good, and in the light the work of His hands are made visible.

'Cooking Tutorial': Grown up Grilled Cheese

  This has the potential to be a worthwhile recipe. Except that I am the one writing it our for your reading pleasure. Here is how to make a pinterest-inspired grown-up grilled cheese sandwich.

  You will need: two slices of bread; a few of slices of mozzarella cheese; half an avocado, sliced; and some fresh baby spinach.

  Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and melt some butter on it.

  Lay a slice of bread in and put half of the mozzarella on that.

 

   Then lay the spinach on that.

 

 And the avocado slices on that. Salt and pepper it a little.

 

   Then put the rest of the of the cheese on.

 

   Cook the whole shebang until it is crispy, being careful when you flip it because there is a high chance it will fall apart.

 

   And there it is.

 

   Now can eat grilled cheese and still keep your hard-earned adulthood intact. Not that I do not eat regular grilled cheese.

What I did this Week: some thoughts from bath-houses

  This past week, I volunteered during the Family Conference at ALERT. Sadly, I did not take many pictures because I was working. So instead, I will just write some thoughts about cleaning bath-houses since that is what I did.

  It does not matter how pretty a person's hair is when it is on their head, they need to clean it out of the drain after they have taken a shower.

  Flush the toilet. Please, just do.

  If you are a big girl, clean up after yourself.

  Personal items left in the bath-house, no. Just no.

  Soap left lying around does not clean the surrounding area. I think it actually attracts bacteria.

  Oh, and hair in the sink, clean that up too.

  It is not that hard to pick up paper you dropped on the floor.

  When there are signs on the door stating members of the opposite sex are present, please regard them, more for our sake then for yours.

  All that makes cleaning bath-houses sound much worse than it is. At the end of the day, it was not that bad. Hosing down floors, squeegeeing mirrors, restocking paper goods, stepping out into the sunshine every five minutes, a body can learn to enjoy it. At the same time, you can learn things about your fellow human beings you may not have realized you did not really want to know.

  And that was part of my week at least.
 

Adventures in the Damp

  Yesterday I went for a walk and took some pictures. That is all.

Screaming off the Page

 Psalm 13, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and everyday have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."
  My life is not nearly as terrible as David's. He had actual enemies who were maliciously against him. I do not really have enemies. I just seem to have a tendency to cross people who are after money. When I got my permit several years back, I got in an accident. One of the people involved in the accident made, not one, but two claims because of the accident. Then, one of the people who was involved in the fender-bender I was in last week filed an insurance claim, despite the fact he said he was okay and was the first to leave the scene of the accident.
  Because this individual, who I will refrain from describing lest I say anything particularly unchristian, decided to file a claim, I have had to go through some inconvenient gymnastics. While I am sure they are nothing compared to what the insurance companies have had to do, they have been frustrating, infuriating, whatever adjectives you can possibly think of to describe anger.
  Monday, I found out an insurance claim had been filed and immediately questioned whether or not certain individuals void their humanity by being jerks. Certainly some were made as vessels of wrath, and some people seem to proudly brand themselves as such. But it is not for me to say whether or not a body has voided the grace of God in their lives, and it is certainly not my place to judge because I am equally deserving of the wrath of God.
  All that to say, I spent quite a good deal of time this past week trying to keep unadulterated anger from spilling out of my mouth. There was not love in my body, my mouth, my mind. Every fiber of my being wanted to give into the anger in my veins. Tuesday brought frustration with it as I thought about the situation and how much I hated everything about it. Not dislike, but hate, cruel and cold-blooded. Then came Wednesday. I woke up and my Bible-reading schedule brought me to Psalm 13. As I read, the words came screaming off the page at me. David was not just talking about life being hard, he was talking about my problems exactly. People being jerks and his own ungodly thoughts.
  This is not an entry to excuse my sin because David did it. David did a lot of things I pray the Lord will keep me from doing. But at the end of the day, it is encouraging to know that in spite of all his struggles, David was still a man after God's own heart. And I can be a woman after God's heart by His grace.

exclusive.

  There is only one way to God, and that is through Christ. There are no loopholes, no exceptions. In John 14:6 we read, "Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.""
  It seems hard that Christianity is the only way to the Father. God created all these souls and many are destined to eternity under His wrath simply because they will not come to Him the way He wants them to come. In a human-centered universe, those questions are completely understandable. The world is not man-centric, however. As God's creation, we cannot understand His mind. The things He does go beyond our comprehension. It is then we can do nothing but trust in Him. Trust that He is good and that He will work all things out.
  Man ought to not question why Christianity is exclusive, why God only provided one way to have a relationship with Him. Instead, the question asked should be, why does God provide a way of salvation for mankind at all? Man who has broken His laws and spat in His face and disregarded Him as the ultimate ruler. Yet, God loves His humble creation and provided for them, for us, a way of escape when we do not deserve it. Yes, Christianity is exclusive, but the fact God even allows humanity to come to him as their Father is a miracle.

What I did this Week: At ALERT again

  For those of you who are either unobservant, or completely ignorant, or have not been reading my blog for the past week, I am volunteering at ALERT right now. And this is what I have been up to.

  Sunday, I had a fender-bender on the way here. If it could be called that. I hydro-planed into another car while at a stop-light. God was very gracious to me, and the worst thing that happened was that the license plate of the car I was driving got bent.

 

I drank more coffee than is probably healthy.

 

  I caught a lizard.





  
  Played a surprisingly torturous game involving marshmallows.

 

  Made some ridiculously sticky stuff that was good.

 

  And hung out with some crazy people.

 

  And I working in housekeeping with other crazy people.

 





   And ate monkey bread.



  
  And since I'm here at ALERT, Friday night I played volley ball. Sure I stink, but it is fun.

 

And so went my week!

Where I am At

    Sometimes, we are not where we want to be. At least, we are not where we think we want to be. Nobody, I think, imagines themselves lugging a basket of toilet paper and paper towels down a hall to restock custodial closets. There truly seems no job with less glory. But it is where I am at.
  This entry is not meant to be a pity-party, but an introspection. It seems that I think I am of some importance, that I deserve the job I want. I do not stop to think that the job I want might not be the job I need. Or the job other people need. At the end of the day, people need toilet paper, and somebody has to stock it. And for now, some of the time at least, that person has to be me. There is nothing dishonorable about stocking toilet paper or cleaning toilets or emptying trashcans. Every job is equally valid, and there is not a more important job I can do than the one I am at.

Random 'Cooking Tutorial': Out of Town

  So today, I made rice crispy treats, but with apple jacks instead of rice crisps, because they were in the pantry, because I had bought them.

  So here goes. Gather your ingredients:

 

   Put your butter and marshmallows in a big ol' bowl and melt them in the microwave.

 

   When you stir your melted marshmallows, be sure to use a princess spatula.

 

  Mix them up once they're all melted.

 

  Add the apple jacks to your discretion.

 

  Once it's all mixed up, pour the whole concoction on a buttered platter then slice them up and eat them.

 

  And make sure you share them with an awesome friend.

What I did this Week: A Nerdy Foodie

  Okay, foodies do not eat the trash I eat, but that does not mean I love my trash any less. And it's not all trash. Some of it is foodie worthy.

  Monday, I made cinnamon rolls for dinner.

 

  Tuesday, I went running then I came in and baked cookies. Because running deserves a reward.

 

  Thursday was the birthday of one of my little brothers, so I made pancakes and drank coffee out of this wonderfully nerdy mug my best friend gave me.

 

  Easter stuff is half off, so I bought some peeps. They are some of the most delicious trash you can put in your body.

 

  Friday, I made an Alice in Wonderland necklace.

 

  Today I finished sewing some baby outfits, and hopefully I will not have to sew anymore for awhile.

 

And so went my week!