Domesticated steph
The week of Christmas fell swiftly upon us and without much fanfare. I have several family celebrations to attend this weekend, which means I am in the kitchen this week. A lot.
My dad’s side of the family doesn’t have any cooks, which is a little scary. I actually have one aunt and uncle who do not own an oven. (Luckily this is not the aunt hosting our Saturday get-together) My mother has two celebrations at her house so I am baking and cooking what I can to help her out. Tonight I found myself elbow deep in powered sugar.
It’s become a tradition for me to bake a classic French dessert, the Bûche de Noël each year. It started with my brother taking French in high school… and I followed in his footsteps. I don’t remember the specifics, but most likely our French teacher brought the dessert during a Christmas party. My brother ohhhed and ahhhed over it so much, that I made a point to get the recipe while I was taking classes from the same teacher. Tonight I remembered why I only make this thing once a year. It’s not hard, it’s just messy. I have powered sugar in parts of my kitchen I didn’t know I had. Which is incredibly handy, because my kitchen is huge. I’m planning to find said sugar until Easter.
I also baked my “famous” praline chex mix tonight- and now I have a few smashed pieces of cereal on my floor.
Also on my list… pumpkin cheesecake, chicken tortilla soup, a relish tray, a fruit and chocolate fondue dip… and to top it all off, my grandmother’s sweet potatoes.
Somehow I ended up with all the messy food. Hmm. I wonder if my mother planned it that way.
What I’m listening to: Relient K’s Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand
What I’m reading: Mike Yaconelli’s Messy Spirituality
Change: What is it Good For?
Ever have one of those days where you promise yourself it will be different than the last, only to fall back into your normal routine and fail at that fail miserably (and let’s face it, somewhat deliberately)?
Case in point: I’ve had a book on my shelf for…well, I’m actually a little afraid to admit how many years, entitled I Really Want to Change – So Help Me God by James MacDonald. I remember being so excited about the book when I first purchased it, but here it is years later and I haven’t so much as attempted the first chapter.
The biggest change I’ve been part of the last few years is the change in worship style at my church. Which, admittedly, is a big deal, but it seemed to take forever and once it happened, it didn’t really feel like much had changed. Probably due to my gradual introduction of new songs and other instruments accompanying those songs. But is change best when it’s gradual? Or is it best to go the whole way, to the fullest extent, immediately?
This is not a fully-processed thought, but perhaps posting something about it will remind me to revisit this later. (Perhaps slowly, at a gradual pace.)
*Slinks away from the keyboard…tongue in cheek*
What I’m listening to: Happy Christmas Vol. 4
You’ve Got to be Kidding Me
Open your iTunes and listen to Relevant Magazine’s podcast from 12/15/06. You won’t regret it. Besides having a great live mini-show from Andrew Peterson, Jill Phillips, Sandra McCraken and Derek Webb, there is a great story in Slices about the Orlando Magic’s mascot boxing a live kanagaroo for the half-time show last week.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Discovering a Little Christmas Spirit
It’s rare for me to have a Sunday off. I actually looked back to count and I only missed leading worship three Sundays this last year – and one was due to illness. But today was the Sunday School Christmas program and the children’s music program is not something I’ve had time to be involved with at the church for 4 years now. So I took the oppourtunity to not drive the 30 miles to church and instead finish up my Christmas shopping, do laundry … and watch two Christmas movies. I feel do decadent.
The reason I find Will Ferrell so funny is because of this movie. Maybe Bob Newhart makes him funny (because Bob Newhart rocks), maybe it the way he claps at the excitement of seeing Santa, maybe it’s because he’s gets the crap kicked out of him by a little person…I don’t know. But it’s freakin’ funny. Even Roger Ebert liked it. He said, and I quote, “This is one of those rare Christmas comedies that has a heart, a brain and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece.”
Not as good of a movie, but still a Christmas standard for me in the last few years is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I enjoy the movie because of Cindy LooHoo and one moment in the movie. Cindy: “You’re the-the-the…” Grinch “The-The-The. THE GRINCH.” Kills me everytime.
I’d never paid attention to the lyrics of the main song in the show, but here’s a taste:
Where are you Christmas?
Why can’t I find you?
Why have you gone away?
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me?
Why can’t I hear music play?
My world is changing
I’m rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too?
Where are you Christmas?
Do you remember
The one you used to know?
I’m not the same one
See what the time’s done
Is that why you have let me go?
That’s fairly profound for a cheesy pop song and interesting in light of what I’ve been through this year.
Now all I have to do it find time to watch It’s a Wonderful Life and National Lampoon Christmas Vacation (just to take the edge off all the cheese. I’ts just not Christmas until I see a cat get electrocuted by some Christmas lights) and I’m all set.
Audrey: Do you sleep with your brother? Do you know how sick and twisted that is?
Ellen: Well, I’m sleeping with your father. Don’t be so dramatic.
Hee. I love that quote.
The Perfect Christian
When a high-profile evangelical Christain leader has a high-profile failure, we all respond differently.
I’ve been reading about Jay Bakker, son of the Jim and Tammy Faye, who’s the pastor of a church called Revolution. It’s a small church that holds a casual service in a Brooklyn bar. He started filming a reality show called One Punk Under God airing on the Sundance Channel. His show and his views are another post… but as I read a little about his father’s problems back in the 80s, I was reminded of other famous scandels in the evangelical community. Jimmy Swaggart, Oral Roberts… and more recently Ted Haggard and Paul Barnes, these are leaders of large organizations and churches who in one way or another, were exposed for fraud, cheating, etc. And don’t even get me started on Falwell or Robertson.
The list goes on… leaders in the evangelical community fall. So do I. So do you.
But this post isn’t about those leaders. It’s not really even about me. Here’s the question I’ve been bothered by today: Why does the world hold Christians up to a perfect moral standard? (I know both the self-righteous and biblical answer most would say, but I want to go a little deeper.)
Why aren’t we allowed to screw up in the face of society?
For years the so-called “leaders” that represent us have threatened hell-fire and brimstone to those that do not obey. The actions of presidents, actors, authors, radio hosts and the like are judged, condemned by these mouth-pieces. So in turn we are being condemned by a society that remembers that condemnation. And they happily throw our failure back in our faces. Then we throw it right back.
It’s not working.
Whatever happened to grace? Whatever happened to dropping our rock?
There’ve been precious few times in my life when I came to a friend with a confession or an apology, and as I’ve cowered in the corner, arms up over my heard, eyes slammed shut, preparing myself for the collision, all I felt was the dull thud of the rocks dropping from their hands.
I felt grace.
God extends grace to all of us. We simply must reach out and take it. But grasping that grace in no way makes me superior to those who haven’t reached out to take it yet, because God extends this grace to all. The violent death Christ faced wasn’t just for a couple of smart, good people who live in the Bible Belt. It was for every sad-sack full of sin. And that’s all of us.
It has to start somewhere. It should start with us. We will continue to fall in big and small ways. And when someone else does, I don’t even want a rock to be in sight, much less in my hand. It starts with us. If we extends grace to the world perhaps we’ll get it back.
Do you have the nerve to say, “Let me wash your face for you,” when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. -Matthew 7: 4-5, The Message Remix
What I’m listening to: Happy Christmas Vol. 2
Stephanie Nelson 