The Franciscan Benediction & Prayer of St. Francis

I first heard this benediction (blessing) about six years ago and I can honestly say it changed the trajectory of my life:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

And the Blessing of God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen.

While I was looking for this tonight, I found the Prayer of Saint Francis and thought it was also worth some reflection:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console,
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it its in dying that we are born to eternal life.

May we be blessed like this!

This Is On Purpose.

First of all, have a listen to some audio-bliss à la Nickel Creek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FYK9lxhYfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJTNxnMx3j0

Good, right?!

Now that we have some nice, cheery music going, I want to address a question that seems to mercilessly haunt people my age:  what should I do with my life?

This question sets nearly everyone I know between the ages of nineteen and 28 on edge, myself included (and yes, once you hit 29 you’re suddenly impervious to the quarter-life crisis).  Anxiety wriggles its sneaky way into our chests and makes our hearts pound, spurring them spasmodically on with whispered allusions to “missing out.”  There is a nagging sense of incompleteness, a longing to live bold, daring, world-changing lives that do not fit into our daily routines.  Or am I the only one?

The obvious response to this doubt is the realization that we are, in some capacity, not living the lives we were made for.  And our conceptions of what we are made for are murky at best. I for one have a very general idea of what I should do with my life, but I feel like I’m constantly deferring living it out in the busyness of my day-to-day, 9-5, middle-class existence.  I have somehow found myself in the vocational purgatory that Missoula turns into the second you step off the stage with that calligraphied pseudo-diploma in hand (seriously, you don’t get the real one for at least six months).  I think we’ve all found ourselves here at some point or another, waiting for our lives to start but feeling like the starting line keeps slipping further and further off into the distance.

I was struck by how deeply rooted this mindset is while having lunch with a good friend last weekend.  Of all my friends, she is the one most people would look at and think ‘She has arrived.’  She is happily married, healthy, beautiful, she’s amazing at her job, finds it fulfilling, and what’s more she’s actually making a difference in the world.  Yet at one point in the conversation, she expressed how she wished she knew what God was calling her to do with her life.  My immediate thought was What?! You, of all people, are living your calling!

But then it dawned on me.  We, once again, are asking God the wrong question.  We ask, God, what should I do with my life?  Seems like an innocuous enough question, right?  But the problem is, that question, on its own, implies that the story is ours.  That the fleeting 80 years I spend on this earth are mine.  This is my life, my story, my job, these are my friends, and it is my right to enjoy my wealth and my time.  And as a Christian, I invite Jesus into my heart and my life.  Do you see how backward that is?  How arrogant, how selfish?  That we would invite the brilliant, glorious, perfectly loving God who breathed galaxies into existence to be a part of our lives?  We make the story about ourselves, and we’re puzzled when little about our lives feels grand or daring or significant.

But what I realized in that moment is a truth that I hope embeds itself deeply into my spiritual DNA:  “In the beginning, God.” The creation story is not told in passive voice, which would keep the focus on the creation itself.  Rather, it is an active voice narrative: God created, God said, God made, God saw.  This theme extends all through the Bible, and throughout all of human history if we’re humble enough to see it.  The story is about the Creator, from beginning to end.  The story is told primarily and principally so that we would know the Storyteller.

The simple truth is that the story will not make much sense until we become better acquainted with the Storyteller. Think of your favorite novel narrated in first-person.  Mine, without a doubt, is To Kill AMockingbird.  I’ve read it at least a dozen times, and each time I adore and unravel more about Scout.  My love for Jem and Dill and Atticus and Miss Maudie grows, as does my grasp of the metaphors and symbolic, colorful language.  I feel as though I actually know Scout.  I even catch myself having childish, imaginary conversations with her while I’m reading.  And by knowing Scout, I know her world.

By knowing God, we realize that he is inviting us to play powerful roles in his story.  By knowing him, our roles take shape as we begin to see the unique pieces of his personality and character that he’s placed in each of us.  We begin to see each other through his eyes.  And by knowing him, we get the wisdom and courage to daily and heuristically step into his story. This is our purpose; this is our calling:  to know him and allow him to write us into his grand, beautiful, and exhilarating story.

Smooth Operator...

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CURRIED RED LENTIL SOUP

When you're in the mood for something decadent tasting but not a heavy meal, this will do just fine.  Silky smooth and slightly spicy, with an exotic bent that is luxurious and comforting, this soup takes no time at all.  I used chicken broth, but using vegetable broth makes it completely vegan.

I love this one!!

Read more… 191 more words

This is delicious, and so easy! Enjoy!

Mountains and Mustard Seeds

There are a few things of which I am convinced.  To begin with, I am convinced that I am a basically rational individual.  My brain is more logical than emotional.  I trust my instincts, because they’re usually rooted in reason, and I trust my experiences and perceptions of my experiences.

Consequently, I am also convinced that God loves us, and what’s more that he loves us extravagantly.  I am convinced of this because of countless personal experiences, like God removing anger and hate from my heart and replacing it with love, hearing his audible voice (my dominant, rational side really struggled with that), and most recently, experiencing his healing power for the first time in Missoula (if you want the full story, ask me in person).  I’ve also been blessed to witness at least seven other incidences of healing that I can think of off the top of my head.

You cannot talk about the supernatural in a Christian context without a discussion of faith, and specifically what kind of role faith plays in miracles.  And while I don’t pretend to be an expert on the Bible, I can speak from my experiences, which seem to line up with Jesus’ teachings. “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20, ESV).

This verse is powerful to me because honestly, I’m a mustard seed kind of girl.  Like I said, I’m a rational person.  And with that rationality comes an often unhealthy dose of cynicism, even when all evidence tells me to believe the impossible.  So it’s a relief to know that a tiny amount of faith is all God says I need to be a part his business.

I don’t claim to have a special gift of faith or healing.  Almost every time I’ve prayed for someone and seen them healed, I haven’t “felt” anything. No “waves and fire swirls,” as one of my more charismatic friends says.  Each time, I was simply obeying God’s command to pray for the sick, knowing that he says he loves us and that he’s a healer.

I don’t understand why some people get the miracle they’re praying for and others do not.  I do not believe that God wills suffering–why would he inflict us with something his death has redeemed us from?–but I know his sovereignty means he can use it to show us how powerful, good, and loving he is.  And sometimes that means miracles.

The amazing truth I’ve realized over the last few weeks and seeing God work like this again, is that faith is a verb, not an emotional state.  Faith is acting based on God’s character.  Faith is simply trusting him to be who he says he is.  God is a person, not a formula.  No one can give you a scripted prayer that will heal someone every time.  What I believe he wants is for us to engage with his heart–his loving, reconciling, powerfully kind heart–and through that to bring him our tiny mustard seeds of faith, and trust him to move the mountains as he sees fit.

UPDATE:  I should add I just heard a story of a girl in my church being completely healed of cancer.  Amazing!

23 Things I’ve Learned By 23

I was talking to a friend today about how being 23 actually feels like being an adult.  At 18 and 19, you’re still a teenager.  20, You can’t buy alcohol.  At 21 you can, but you’re probably stupid about it.  22, you’re recovering from your year of stupidity and trying to figure out who you are after college.  But at 23, you’re getting some traction on who you are and life with all of the apron strings cut, and realistically, your life is probably 1/4 over.  By this point, hopefully, you’ve actually got some wisdom and life experience under your belt.  So without further ado:

On being a responsible adult:

1.  It is worth it to make and follow a budget.  I learned this the hard way.  Just grow up and do it.  And plan for emergencies, because you never know when you’ll come home to find mushrooms growing out of your wall.  No kidding.

2.  Working out, eating healthy, and sleeping a healthy amount boost my energy, creativity, memory, and overall kindness towards others.

3.  I may want a dog right now, but I probably don’t have the time or money to be responsible for one.  (Fortunately for me, Eli is responsible enough to have one, and Sophie is the greatest.)

4. I can make a ton of delicious, cheap things with quinoa, black beans, and a few veggies.

5.  Getting up early is usually worth it.

6.  Staying up ridiculously late is usually not.

On life in general:

7.  Reading is way better than watching TV.  No exceptions.

8.  Music, poetry, art, nature, etc. can all be extremely life-giving.

9.  Most–not all but most–things are only worth eating if they’re a vehicle for avocados or peanut butter.

10. “Your life begins where your comfort zone ends.”  My best experiences in life have all come from going places, doing things, and getting to know people that I naturally wouldn’t.

11.  Find a job that makes you come alive.  If you’re going to spend 35 hours a week, 52 weeks a year for approximately 40 years doing one thing, it better count.  And you better find a way to make it count in terms of eternity.  (I have a lot of room to grow in this).

12.  Part of growing up means owning my emotional baggage.  And not all baggage is bad; my parents taught me a ton of valuable, healthy, Godly things that I hope to pass on to my kids someday.  I have amazing parents, and I bet you do, too.

On relationships, platonic and otherwise:

13.  No matter how passionately I’m believe I’m right about issues relating to religion and politics, I probably don’t have all the information.  I need to be humble and willing to learn something.  That said, it’s okay to be a bit cynical when forming opinions about weighty things.  Fact-checking is important–don’t be a mindless consumer of trendy information sources.

14. Confrontation is not about me getting my point across, being heard, justified, or eliciting an apology.  It’s about reconciliation.  With that in mind, leave as many doors open for restoring the relationship as possible, even if there’s no resolve to the issue at hand.  Again, humility is key, as is putting others’ good ahead of your own.

15.  If you haven’t met “the one,” be thankful.  This means you have more time to mature into the person God made you to be before you meet them.

16.  Friendships nearly always change.  There are very few people you will be close to your whole life, and as hard as this is to accept, your friendship is probably replaceable to most people.  Don’t take that personally; it’s a reality of living in a highly mobile society, and it doesn’t mean you weren’t valued.

17. Don’t let the above keep you from loving people.  God delights in his people; so should we.

On spirituality:

18.  “Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people he has made?” – Francis Chan

19.  God’s plan for my life is good and acceptable and perfect.

20.  Jesus bore the whole world’s sin.  That means that by his wounds, I am healed not only of my sins, but also of the repercussions of others’ sins against me.

21.  There are always new depths of God to know.  Finding them is what glory to glory and strength to strength means, I think.

22.  Worship is the most transformational thing I can do because it takes my eyes off myself and plants them firmly on Jesus and the cross.  When I worship, I am proclaiming Jesus’ power over everything the enemy is doing to “steal, kill, and destroy” my life.  Fixing my eyes on Jesus is the only way to get rid of selfishness and find true joy.

23. Jesus is better than everything.  I can honestly say that in a very full 23 years of life, nothing has even come close to the joy and freedom and love I’ve known in him.

Humility

 ’…The road to hell is paved with good intentions.’

‘What’s the road back paved with?’

‘Humility.’

-The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Do you hear the…

Tags

Les Mis, New Year

Do you hear the people sing
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people
Who are climbing to the light

For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest night will end
And the sun will rise.

They will live again in freedom
In the garden of the Lord
They will walk behind the plough-share
They will put away the sword
The chain will be broken
And all men will have their reward!

Do You Hear The People Sing finale, Les Miserables. Here’s a New Year’s wish for our world!

Almuerzo

That’s “lunch” south of the border, folks.  The Canadian border, obviously.  Although I’m not complaining; I like Spanish.

There is a reason poverty stricken people around the world have subsisted for hundreds of years on two staple foods:  because rice and beans are damn cheap.  This holds true for struggling, just-graduated twenty-somethings.  I eat this for lunch, and sometimes dinner, (okay, and sometimes breakfast, too) nearly every week because it’s delicious and healthy and fairly economical.

So many people have asked me how to make this, and my response is typically a shrug and something like “It’s easy, you just cook [blah blah and blah] in a pan.”  And I wonder why people are confused…

Just the same, whenever I cook this I swear I have to defend my food from my roommate Lauren with a wooden spoon.  So, here it is.

Mouth-watering rice

Cook brown rice according to instructions.  When there is no longer water visible above the rice, I stir in about 1/2 bunch finely chopped cilantro and around 2 Tbs. lime juice.

Lip-smacking legumes

1/2 onion, chopped

2 green chillies, diced (more if you’re up for some zing)

*Important* Post chilli chopping, make sure you keep your fingers away from your eyes, mouth and nose until you’ve washed your hands several times.  I learned this the hard way.

1-7 oz. can of green chillies

3 red peppers, diced

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

2 Tbs lime juice (more or less, to taste)

1 tsp. cumin(more or less, to taste)

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder (more or less, to taste)

2-15 oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

Saute the onions and chillies in a large pan over medium heat until tender.   Throw in the rest of the ingredients and stir occasionally until the red peppers are a little less than crisp, but not mushy.  I use quite a bit of lime juice, so for me a good gauge of how well it’s cooked is when some of the excess moisture has evaporated.  Also, the measurements for the spices are far from exact–my least favorite part about cooking is following a recipe, so this turns out a little different for me each time.  Always delicious, though!  This is good for about 10 meals.

I also like to stir in some chunked avocado before I devour, and/or some extra sharp white cheddar if I have any handy.

Bucket List

Fall always puts me in a whimsical mood.  It’s the breathtaking, fleeting calm before the storm of winter, and it makes me feel as though if I can wish it, it can happen.  So as I sit looking over my city bursting with vibrant golds and reds on this Sunday afternoon, I started daydreaming up a bucket list.  In no particular order:

1.  Learn to play guitar.  The inevitable boredom that winter brings just might push me to get on Youtube and learn a few chords.

2.  Visit Ireland again, for a lot longer.  I was recently blessed to be in a dear friend’s wedding in Rostrevor, N. Ireland, but was there for a mere 5 days.

3.  Visit the Italian Riviera again.  Swimming in the Mediterranean was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

4.  And speaking of swimming, Swim with a whale.  Only hitch:  I’m fairly terrified of being in water that is much over my head.  This is the downside of living in a landlocked, semi-arid state where the high mountain lakes are seldom warm enough for swimming.

5.  See Victoria Falls. http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/places/victoria.htm

6.  Ride an elephant.  They’re my favorite animals, and if it were possible I would have one as a pet.

7.  Learn a few more languages.  I speak Spanish about as well as 4-year-old because I’m lazy and don’t use it anymore, and I picked up a bit of Italian while I was there.  The next logical languages, since I’m hoping to live in Africa for a while, are French and Arabic.  Xhosa probably makes the list, too.

8.  Run a half-marathon.  Lauren, my roommate, is trying to convince me to shoot for a full, but I’d be more apt to do a triathalon.  Only problem:  I’m not a huge fan of long swims (land-locked state, remember?), running, or bicycling long distances.  Sigh.

9.  Learn how to cook brown rice.  I always follow the instructions, and it’s always either too dry or too mushy.

10.  Pray habitually, without consciously doing it.  Better yet, pray more than I talk, and spend more time listening to the Lord more than talking at him.

11.  Change the world.  No big deal.  Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

12.  Worship with other Christians in a closed country.

13.  Own a blue Great Dane.  My other roommate, Eli (http://mmm-betty.blogspot.com/), has a precious Shetland Sheepdog named Sophie, but it’s not quite the same.

14.  Hike across the Grand Canyon.  At the very least, I want to see it again.  I was only 9 when I saw it and didn’t appreciate it nearly enough.

15.  Become a skilled photographer.

16.  While we’re on the subject, Develop my artistic side.  I would love to write poetry, stories, draw, paint, sing, play music, etc. worth a damn.

17.  Not worry about trivial things.

18.  Learn a cool party trick.  Cutting the neck off a bottle of champagne, cracking a safe, or any sort of magic trick (pardon me, Arrested Development fans:  “Illusions, Michael!”) would suffice.

19.  Learn to live on next to no money.  Money is so constraining; if I could be content, thrifty, and creative enough it wouldn’t be nearly as inhibiting.

20.  Walk on a glacier.  I need to make a trip up to GNP this spring (http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm).

21.  Pet a wild animal.  Squirrels don’t count.  A deer, elephant, giraffe, or manatee would acceptable, but an okapi would be optimal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi).

22.  Become an accomplished ballroom dancer.  I took a class a few years ago and loved every second of it.  Tango is my favorite, although waltzing is pretty fantastic, too.

23.  Consistently put others first out of genuine, selfless love. I want to love others like Jesus loves me.

24.  See Oklahoma!, The Newsies, Wicked, or Les Miserables on Broadway.

25.  Go white-water rafting.

26.  Be obedient the Holy Spirit all the time.  I want to be radical.  I want to use the gifts he’s given me boldly and unashamedly.  God has given me everything; obedience is the only logical response.

27.  Learn to sew.  All the cool indie-hipsters are doing it.

28.  See some more miracles.  That’s right, I said ‘some more.’

29.  Visit Australia and New Zealand.

30.  Live fearlessly.  I have for moments, even for days, but I want to always.

This ends my list for now, though it’s far from complete.  Lauren is watching an incredibly confusing movie and I’m getting sucked in.  Making it to an even 30 took a while because it’s so engrossing.

Snatch.  Not even once.

For the Honor

For the honor of the Father
Who reaches out to us
That we might live inside His love
He gave His only Son

For the honor of the Savior
Let the cross be lifted high
The great exchange of love and grace
Came down to give us life

For the honor of the Spirit
Whose power lives in us
That we might see much greater things
As we embrace Your love

For the honor of Your kingdom
Whose reign will never end
We’ll give our lives in sacrifice
Until You come again

Forever, forever
We’ll honor You forever

–Elevation Worship

Forever Jesus. Forever.