"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." - James 1:5
What an amazing promise! All you have to do is ask with faith and God gives generously to all. Without reproach. He doesn't say "well you blew it last time so that's all the wisdom you're gonna get." What a great God we serve!
January 27, 2012
January 24, 2012
I Am Currently...
Just for fun, here's a little meme. I am currently...
Listening ... to a lot of pop songs with a beat for my workouts, and my acoustic playlist for fun, especially Audrey Assad. She is fantastic. Soft and acoustic, smart lyrics, great voice. If I were a singer I would want to be like her.
Watching ... I discovered Downton Abbey recently and now I'm hooked. It's on PBS and it's historical and British and the costumes are beautiful and it's clean! Think Sense and Sensibility, only set during WWI. Love it.
Reading ... Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson. Very good, very straightforward, very down to earth, very non-judgmental. Today from the library I checked out Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. My mom and I share a love of memoir. Usually I try to vary the genres I read, but I have a lot of books on hold and these three just happened to become available at the same time.
Eating ... Nothing at the moment but we had Tilapia with lemon cream sauce and roasted zucchini and potatoes for dinner. Then I ruined all those healthy points by topping it off with a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream with chocolate sauce. Yum!
Drinking ... These days I've been enjoying hot tea, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider. They're perfect on drizzly, cold winter evenings, which we have been having a lot of lately.
Wearing ... My pajama pants, a green long-sleeve t-shirt, and slippers. On evenings that I stay in, my pajama pants go on right after dinner and I am not ashamed to say it. They are one of the things I love most in life, right up there with potatoes and books.
Feeling ... Achy and stiff from my run this morning. I am excited that I can run 1.5 miles now, but nervous because in March I will have to run twice that. I just hope that it is easier to acquire the second half of the distance than it was to acquire the first because I don't have another 4 months to get there. And mild shin splints are not making things any easier.
Weather ... After Christmas, winter really settled in and it has been rainy with highs around 40. But every now and then we get a sunny, 55 degree day like today and I soak up the sunshine and the lovely ease of not having to put on a coat, hat, gloves, and scarf every time I go outside.
Wanting ... Spring to arrive and running to get easier. Also, a self-cleaning kitchen would be awesome.
Thinking ... of what I need to accomplish tomorrow (perhaps some early spring cleaning/organizing, or some baking).
Enjoying ... This stage of life, my Beth Moore Bible study on the book of James, winter comfort food, flannel sheets, my sweet and loyal Casper boy (even if he does shed ridiculously).
Needing ... To go to bed. Goodnight!
Listening ... to a lot of pop songs with a beat for my workouts, and my acoustic playlist for fun, especially Audrey Assad. She is fantastic. Soft and acoustic, smart lyrics, great voice. If I were a singer I would want to be like her.
Watching ... I discovered Downton Abbey recently and now I'm hooked. It's on PBS and it's historical and British and the costumes are beautiful and it's clean! Think Sense and Sensibility, only set during WWI. Love it.
Reading ... Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson. Very good, very straightforward, very down to earth, very non-judgmental. Today from the library I checked out Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. My mom and I share a love of memoir. Usually I try to vary the genres I read, but I have a lot of books on hold and these three just happened to become available at the same time.
Eating ... Nothing at the moment but we had Tilapia with lemon cream sauce and roasted zucchini and potatoes for dinner. Then I ruined all those healthy points by topping it off with a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream with chocolate sauce. Yum!
Drinking ... These days I've been enjoying hot tea, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider. They're perfect on drizzly, cold winter evenings, which we have been having a lot of lately.
Wearing ... My pajama pants, a green long-sleeve t-shirt, and slippers. On evenings that I stay in, my pajama pants go on right after dinner and I am not ashamed to say it. They are one of the things I love most in life, right up there with potatoes and books.
Feeling ... Achy and stiff from my run this morning. I am excited that I can run 1.5 miles now, but nervous because in March I will have to run twice that. I just hope that it is easier to acquire the second half of the distance than it was to acquire the first because I don't have another 4 months to get there. And mild shin splints are not making things any easier.
Weather ... After Christmas, winter really settled in and it has been rainy with highs around 40. But every now and then we get a sunny, 55 degree day like today and I soak up the sunshine and the lovely ease of not having to put on a coat, hat, gloves, and scarf every time I go outside.
Wanting ... Spring to arrive and running to get easier. Also, a self-cleaning kitchen would be awesome.
Thinking ... of what I need to accomplish tomorrow (perhaps some early spring cleaning/organizing, or some baking).
Enjoying ... This stage of life, my Beth Moore Bible study on the book of James, winter comfort food, flannel sheets, my sweet and loyal Casper boy (even if he does shed ridiculously).
Needing ... To go to bed. Goodnight!
January 20, 2012
Fair Trade Chocolate
Look what I found!
Fair trade dark chocolate raspberry medallions. Yum! I will be ordering some of these when they come back in stock.
From Everyday Justice:
"The majority of the world's cocoa beans grow in West Africa...nations struggling to overcome poverty and unrest. Farmers sell these beans to the world's major chocolate producers like Hershey's, Nestle and Mars. So the beans from these countries are the source of most of the chocolate those of us in Western countries consume.
...there are high numbers of children working to harvest cocoa beans. These children typically aren't family, or even local, but instead have been trafficked in from neighboring countries.
A report by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture revealed that an estimated 284,000 children are working on cocoa farms in hazardous tasks such as using machetes and applying pesticides and insecticides without the necessary protective equipment. The report also indicated strong evidence of human trafficking. Yet these practices are often overlooked or ignored by the companies that the farms supply. The result? Much of the chocolate we consume has its roots in child labor, often forced or slave labor."
This shocks and appalls me! But you know me, I love my chocolate. A life without chocolate is sad! So what's a girl to do? It turns out you can buy fair trade chocolate online! It's less convenient and more expensive than what you can get at the grocery store, but to me it is worth it. Fair trade guarantees that my money is not going toward companies that exploit their laborers and it also (I hope) sends a message to those companies that there are people out there willing to pay more for slave-free chocolate. Maybe they will get the message.
Here are some links for places to buy fair trade chocolate in case you are interested.
http://www.serrv.org/ has chocolate bars and treats (the raspberry chocolates are from here).
http://www.greenheartshop.org/organic-baking-cocoa.html has organic fair trade baking cocoa.
http://www.amazon.com has Guittard fair trade chocolate chips.
Fair trade dark chocolate raspberry medallions. Yum! I will be ordering some of these when they come back in stock.
From Everyday Justice:
"The majority of the world's cocoa beans grow in West Africa...nations struggling to overcome poverty and unrest. Farmers sell these beans to the world's major chocolate producers like Hershey's, Nestle and Mars. So the beans from these countries are the source of most of the chocolate those of us in Western countries consume.
...there are high numbers of children working to harvest cocoa beans. These children typically aren't family, or even local, but instead have been trafficked in from neighboring countries.
A report by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture revealed that an estimated 284,000 children are working on cocoa farms in hazardous tasks such as using machetes and applying pesticides and insecticides without the necessary protective equipment. The report also indicated strong evidence of human trafficking. Yet these practices are often overlooked or ignored by the companies that the farms supply. The result? Much of the chocolate we consume has its roots in child labor, often forced or slave labor."
This shocks and appalls me! But you know me, I love my chocolate. A life without chocolate is sad! So what's a girl to do? It turns out you can buy fair trade chocolate online! It's less convenient and more expensive than what you can get at the grocery store, but to me it is worth it. Fair trade guarantees that my money is not going toward companies that exploit their laborers and it also (I hope) sends a message to those companies that there are people out there willing to pay more for slave-free chocolate. Maybe they will get the message.
Here are some links for places to buy fair trade chocolate in case you are interested.
http://www.serrv.org/ has chocolate bars and treats (the raspberry chocolates are from here).
http://www.greenheartshop.org/organic-baking-cocoa.html has organic fair trade baking cocoa.
http://www.amazon.com has Guittard fair trade chocolate chips.
January 17, 2012
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
Christmas is officially over in the Shepherd house. We took the tree down last weekend and I packed up my nativity scene yesterday. I'm always a little sad to take the decorations down; they just make the house look so festive and inviting.
It seems winter has arrived for good. It is cold, dark, and rainy right now. We're drinking hot cider and tea a lot these days. I have found that I am not too miserable outside until it gets into the 30s and then I'd really just rather stay inside.
My running is still improving slowly. I'm now running 15-20 minutes at a time. I'm almost at the end of the Couch to 5K program - 2 more weeks to go if I don't repeat anything. I'm running indoors all the time now due to the cold, and while I am proud of how far I have come, I still do not enjoy it. Yesterday in particular made me grumpy because I was extra tired and achy the rest of the day. I can deal with achy muscles but this feels like my bones actually hurt. And my productivity for the rest of the day is zapped. At this point, I want to finish my goal of running a 5K but then I think I'm going to stop. I keep waiting for that feeling to change and for me to magically start to enjoy running like people say I will, but so far it's not happening.
So my 2012 new year's resolution was to live intentionally, and I already have a chance to start applying it. In our household, James pays the bills and I manage the budget, and 2011 was an expensive year for us. Finally, 5 months after moving halfway across the country, the expenses related to that have mostly settled down, so we no longer have a good excuse to spend so much money. So I reevaluated our budget and we jointly came up with some areas where we need to cut back so that we can start saving money again. It feels GOOD! Even though it meant that we couldn't go out to lunch with our friends after church on Sunday and it means that I can't go out and immediately buy the new couch pillows that I would like. But the promise of having a nice little sum of money to put into our savings account at the end of the month is worth it!
Also, as you may have noticed, my focus on fair trade and human justice has taken a back burner since we moved. My passion for it has not waned, just my actions. However, I recently bought several books on the subject and I want to get back into it. I still haven't found a way to physically help in this area through volunteer work, but purchasing fair trade items is a start. I found that our grocery store carries Newman's Own and Green Mountain fair trade coffee and it is good! And it's not even more expensive than the Starbucks that we usually buy, so that will be my coffee of choice from now on. It's a very small thing, but coffee is one of the worst industries in terms of exploitation and oppression, so having a clean conscience in that area is great!
The book I am reading currently is called Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson and so far I highly recommend it. If you are looking for a place to start getting educated about justice issues, this is a good one. The author uses lots of scripture, practically addresses the biggest problem areas (coffee, chocolate, clothing, etc.), gives lots of extra resources for more in-depth digging, and best of all, approaches this sometimes difficult and overwhelming subject with lots of grace and understanding.
It seems winter has arrived for good. It is cold, dark, and rainy right now. We're drinking hot cider and tea a lot these days. I have found that I am not too miserable outside until it gets into the 30s and then I'd really just rather stay inside.
My running is still improving slowly. I'm now running 15-20 minutes at a time. I'm almost at the end of the Couch to 5K program - 2 more weeks to go if I don't repeat anything. I'm running indoors all the time now due to the cold, and while I am proud of how far I have come, I still do not enjoy it. Yesterday in particular made me grumpy because I was extra tired and achy the rest of the day. I can deal with achy muscles but this feels like my bones actually hurt. And my productivity for the rest of the day is zapped. At this point, I want to finish my goal of running a 5K but then I think I'm going to stop. I keep waiting for that feeling to change and for me to magically start to enjoy running like people say I will, but so far it's not happening.
So my 2012 new year's resolution was to live intentionally, and I already have a chance to start applying it. In our household, James pays the bills and I manage the budget, and 2011 was an expensive year for us. Finally, 5 months after moving halfway across the country, the expenses related to that have mostly settled down, so we no longer have a good excuse to spend so much money. So I reevaluated our budget and we jointly came up with some areas where we need to cut back so that we can start saving money again. It feels GOOD! Even though it meant that we couldn't go out to lunch with our friends after church on Sunday and it means that I can't go out and immediately buy the new couch pillows that I would like. But the promise of having a nice little sum of money to put into our savings account at the end of the month is worth it!
Also, as you may have noticed, my focus on fair trade and human justice has taken a back burner since we moved. My passion for it has not waned, just my actions. However, I recently bought several books on the subject and I want to get back into it. I still haven't found a way to physically help in this area through volunteer work, but purchasing fair trade items is a start. I found that our grocery store carries Newman's Own and Green Mountain fair trade coffee and it is good! And it's not even more expensive than the Starbucks that we usually buy, so that will be my coffee of choice from now on. It's a very small thing, but coffee is one of the worst industries in terms of exploitation and oppression, so having a clean conscience in that area is great!
The book I am reading currently is called Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson and so far I highly recommend it. If you are looking for a place to start getting educated about justice issues, this is a good one. The author uses lots of scripture, practically addresses the biggest problem areas (coffee, chocolate, clothing, etc.), gives lots of extra resources for more in-depth digging, and best of all, approaches this sometimes difficult and overwhelming subject with lots of grace and understanding.
January 9, 2012
In Which I Gush About Snow. Snow!
Today it snowed! It has snowed three times this year, but the first time it was really light and I missed it, and the second time it snowed overnight and just a tiny bit stuck, so this is the first time I really got to see it. It didn't stick because it is 40 degrees outside, but I don't care, snow is cool!
Casper and I went out in it for a little walk. This sounds silly because technically I know that snow is just frozen water, but it surprised me how wet we got! I guess I expected that since snowflakes seem lighter and airier than rain that I would get less wet....or something like that.
Then we came inside and I may or may not have listened to Christmas music while watching the snow come down and imagining that we were having a white Christmas. My tree is still up so it was fairly easy to imagine.
Snow is magical! And beautiful and festive. It makes a dreary winter day exciting and cozy.
Casper and I went out in it for a little walk. This sounds silly because technically I know that snow is just frozen water, but it surprised me how wet we got! I guess I expected that since snowflakes seem lighter and airier than rain that I would get less wet....or something like that.
Then we came inside and I may or may not have listened to Christmas music while watching the snow come down and imagining that we were having a white Christmas. My tree is still up so it was fairly easy to imagine.
Snow is magical! And beautiful and festive. It makes a dreary winter day exciting and cozy.
January 3, 2012
Back to Reality
This morning my alarm clock went off. (Well actually it was the alarm on my phone.) I sincerely hope there are no alarm clocks in heaven because it is a very unpleasant way to wake up. At least my phone plays a somewhat-less-annoying tune instead of that wretched beeping.
As I got out of bed, I noticed that my muscles are abnormally sore from my run yesterday after taking a whole week off. Even my abs hurt, which is unusual. I don't know if I'll ever get good at this running thing.
Then I walked out into the living room and noticed that the outside temperature gauge reads 30 degrees. I think today's high is supposed to be 36. Fun! (That was sarcastic in case you didn't catch it.) I have a day of cleaning the house planned so I don't have to be anywhere, but the dog still has to go out, so I can't escape the cold. I'm a little jealous of bears who get to hibernate all winter right now.
And so it is back to reality once again. There is only one thing that reality can't take from me and that is my Christmas decorations! The tree is still up and lit, the decorations are still out. I am pleading the 12 days of Christmas as an excuse.
January 1, 2012
Intentional
I feel like January 1 shocks me every year. How can the year be gone already? When I was a kid the years seemed to last forever, but now they fly by. It's true, time passes faster for grown ups.
We spent this beautiful 60-degree day walking Casper on the Three Notch Trail, doing laundry, and playing with our new toys. I've already had one new experience for the year: Casper barked at a donkey and he brayed back. I've never heard that sound in real life before and let me tell you, donkeys are LOUD! I actually thought it was a pony but it was clear I was wrong once he opened his mouth.
As usual, the start of the new year has me reflecting on the old and thinking about the new. 2011 was a big year for us; this time last year I was agonizing over whether James would be laid off and whether I would have to suffer through another year at my job. Little did I know that God had big changes in store for us. And while it was pretty scary going through, I feel like He brought us through an emotional time of famine into a time of plenty, and taught us a lot along the way.
James did lose his job, and we worried for a while. But during that time He brought us our sweet Hands and Feet group to fellowship with, pray with, and learn with. I prepared for the possibility of working another unhappy year at my job, but then the Maryland job popped up and seemed to have real promise. I remember that James messaged me that he found this job description that seemed to fit him perfectly and that he wanted to apply for it, and that it was in Maryland. I was in a meeting and I spent the rest of the meeting googling Maryland on my laptop. James was offered the job and in August I happily said goodbye to my job of 3 years and we road-tripped it to this new, very different, and very beautiful state. Since then it has become apparent that God really did prepare a place for us. James likes his job, I am happy here, and we found a wonderful church family. And we got a dog! It has been quite the year. God has been so faithful.
So for 2012, I have a few goals such as run a 5K, and possibly buy a house (we're still talking and praying about that one), but I haven't been able to think of any resolutions. I never accomplish many of my resolutions anyway. But I have seen a resolution idea that I like: pick one word for the year to come that describes who you want to be or how you want to live for the next year.
My word is Intentional.
My Dad always used to tell me that I need to take more initiative and live more intentionally. Initiative has never been my strength and I have a tendency to just let life happen to me. I wasn't doing too bad at the beginning of this year but with all the changes that have gone on, I've been reverting back. So this year I want to be intentional in my pursuits. I want to give intentionally, serve intentionally, and live aware of others and how my choices impact them.
What is your word or resolution for the year? Happy new year everyone and may it be filled with blessings!
We spent this beautiful 60-degree day walking Casper on the Three Notch Trail, doing laundry, and playing with our new toys. I've already had one new experience for the year: Casper barked at a donkey and he brayed back. I've never heard that sound in real life before and let me tell you, donkeys are LOUD! I actually thought it was a pony but it was clear I was wrong once he opened his mouth.
As usual, the start of the new year has me reflecting on the old and thinking about the new. 2011 was a big year for us; this time last year I was agonizing over whether James would be laid off and whether I would have to suffer through another year at my job. Little did I know that God had big changes in store for us. And while it was pretty scary going through, I feel like He brought us through an emotional time of famine into a time of plenty, and taught us a lot along the way.
James did lose his job, and we worried for a while. But during that time He brought us our sweet Hands and Feet group to fellowship with, pray with, and learn with. I prepared for the possibility of working another unhappy year at my job, but then the Maryland job popped up and seemed to have real promise. I remember that James messaged me that he found this job description that seemed to fit him perfectly and that he wanted to apply for it, and that it was in Maryland. I was in a meeting and I spent the rest of the meeting googling Maryland on my laptop. James was offered the job and in August I happily said goodbye to my job of 3 years and we road-tripped it to this new, very different, and very beautiful state. Since then it has become apparent that God really did prepare a place for us. James likes his job, I am happy here, and we found a wonderful church family. And we got a dog! It has been quite the year. God has been so faithful.
So for 2012, I have a few goals such as run a 5K, and possibly buy a house (we're still talking and praying about that one), but I haven't been able to think of any resolutions. I never accomplish many of my resolutions anyway. But I have seen a resolution idea that I like: pick one word for the year to come that describes who you want to be or how you want to live for the next year.
My word is Intentional.
My Dad always used to tell me that I need to take more initiative and live more intentionally. Initiative has never been my strength and I have a tendency to just let life happen to me. I wasn't doing too bad at the beginning of this year but with all the changes that have gone on, I've been reverting back. So this year I want to be intentional in my pursuits. I want to give intentionally, serve intentionally, and live aware of others and how my choices impact them.
What is your word or resolution for the year? Happy new year everyone and may it be filled with blessings!
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