The Marvels of March
Do you like my tongue-in-cheek, alliteration titles for my monthly recaps? Well, I missed a week of writing. This past week was probably the most hectic week I've had in a long time, but it was also full of some really enjoyable experiences and lovely new people. My introverted self was so non-stop social this past week that by the time Sunday (yesterday) rolled around, I was ready to disappear into a hovel of alone time. I think I'm still recovering. Lucky for me, it's Semana Santa here, or Holy Week. What that means in Honduras is that the whole country more or less is on vacation. Lots of businesses, government offices, and banks are closed, and life is even slower than normal. It's arrived right on time for me this year. I don't know whether or not Raúl and I will do anything special, but just giving myself permission to not be buried under mounds of work and activity is a relief. It'll also be nice for Raúl to be off for a couple of days to breathe. The month of March has just flown by, but despite the fact that we're in the hottest time of the year, I can feel spring in the air even as I see photos of the latest snow storm back in my home state. Even spiritually, it feels like things are preparing to bloom. Even with as short as it's felt, I want to share some things that made March memorable.
Good Eats:
1) Buffalo meatballs. These originally were going to be buffalo chicken meatballs, but when I went to find ground chicken, they didn't have any in the section of prepackaged meats from the deli/butchering section. And, what can I say? If I can avoid making another line to ask for something specifically, I generally do. So, I actually made these with part ground beef and part ground sausage. I took inspiration from a couple of different recipes, but the most noteworthy aspects were including minced celery and blue cheese crumbles in the meatballs. They were great! I made a big enough batch to freeze that we ate them in the form of a salad, subs, spaghetti, and in homemade tomato soup.
2) Carrot cake. Raúl has clients of all kinds of people, and sometimes, they show up and give him fresh produce. This month, a client showed up with a huge bag of carrots. So we ate carrot everything for a week or so. I more or less used the recipe in the link because I had some extra yogurt I needed to use up. We had it for a birthday party for a friend in our small group, and it received good reviews by all. I'd definitely make it again--it's just the talking myself into grating all those carrots that's the challenge.
3) Ginger ale with lime. This is a beverage my spiritual mama got me hooked on while I was in the States. I'm a fan of ginger ale when I'm sick, but adding a bit of lime makes it a refreshing drink for a hot, summer day. If you haven't tried it, you definitely should.
Simple Joys
1) Joan Watson's wardrobe on Elementary. I (sadly) finished Elementary this month and am waiting for the new season, but apart from the writing and acting and story I enjoyed, I really liked Lucy Liu's wardrobe on this show. I am not a follower or expert in high fashion, but I like the creative opportunities that clothes present. I like the self-expression available through what we wear. I get that as a missionary it seems counter-intuitive in some ways to have an interest in clothing, but I look at it as an art and way of expressing oneself. And, I think just as God revels in His creation, we can enjoy how we present ourselves without being vain or wasteful about it. I don't like every outfit that Joan Watson wears, but I like her overall style--it has clean cuts, class, and a lively enough color palette that she isn't wearing the standard black uniform of typical New Yorkers. I'm also a fan of women wearing ties. If I didn't live in such a warm climate, I'd probably still wear them.
2) Purposefully setting a Sabbath. When I was a senior in college, my cousin was my roommate, and both she and my best friend at the time were seekers within the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination. I'm not tied to any particular denomination, but I respected how both of them purposefully set aside a day in their week to be Sabbath. Homework and work and just overall routine life was off-limits for one day out of the week. My cousin spent a lot of time reading, listening to worship music, exercising, and sometimes sharing some special down time with other people. At the time, I was discerning what following Jesus looked like for me without falling into legalistic rules of religion, so I wasn't too keen on putting a rule for myself involving Sabbath at that point in time. Now, however, I recently reflected on this aspect of the Christian life again via the course Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and I found a desire in me to be more purposeful about rest. My Sundays were already mostly free and relaxing, but in being more purposeful, I've been able to say better no to things/jobs/favors that I know are just going to stress me out and steal my rest. As a doer, it can be overwhelming sometimes to let myself enjoy some down time without rushing to wash the dishes that need washed or running the errand that needs done, but all of that stuff will still be there on Monday anyway. Stopping in spite of all of that is holy in a small way and life-restoring.
3) "Fight My Battles/Surrounded" by Upper Room (though there are other versions as well). My spiritual mama recently sent me this song. It's amazing how such simple lyrics can be so powerful. I hadn't heard any music by Upper Room previously, but I like it! It's always so exciting discovering another corner of the world and another group of people passionately going after God's presence in worship. I find my heart echoed in the worship of others.
What I've Watched:
1) Annihilation. From what I understand, this is actually in theaters in the States, but it's already streaming on Netflix here. I watched this at the recommendation of my brother because we both like movies that make you think. This one definitely falls into that category! It's creative but very trippy, and it's not for everyone. I still can't really decide if I like it or not. What I can say without giving too much away is that it is very metaphorical and is not just a superficial thriller. I don't watch horror movies. I don't like fear for fear's sake, especially when something is just blatantly demonic. I will, however, watch psychological thrillers. I need a reason for the madness, a light at the end of the tunnel. This movie mostly has that and a lot of visual beauty if you can handle the insane journey it takes to get there.
2) Sherlock from the BBC. I recently read that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary character is one of the most portrayed human characters in TV and film, and I have to say that I'm still not bored with the portrayals I've seen so far. Over the four seasons, the show often relies on the dynamic of untrustworthy narrators and perspectives, but the twists are always very intriguing and don't feel trite to me. The dynamic between Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, feels like any real human relationship. Character development and the impact of human emotions is not lost in the midst of their adventures. If anything they're developed better as a result of their cases. I so hope they start making episodes again.
3) Selma. Raúl and I are studying for the US citizenship test, and we've been covering the era of civil rights. After trying unsuccessfully a few times to explain who Martin Luther King, Jr. was, I decided it would be in the best interest of us both to watch a movie that would have a better impact in showing who he was and why he was so important. Raúl has a really short attention span, and he's been known to fall asleep in all kinds of movies. But, this movie surprisingly held captive his attention. Seeing the depiction of what happened on Bloody Sunday and just feeling the weight of the hard choices of sacrifice that were made to pave the way for others was inspiring to watch. And, it's amazing both the strides that have been made within the lifetimes of Raúl's and my parents and the fact that racism and many of the issues addressed in this film have not been resolved at their heart. It's a topic that could be unpacked in so many different ways. But, as I recently heard in a sermon by Bill Johnson, "God has all of the solutions to all of the world's problems." As a representative of Jesus, I hope I can be part of the solutions.
Books I Finished in March:
1) Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course, including Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality all by Peter Scazzero. This is the study that we did at Ladies' Bible Study starting at the beginning of this year. Currently, Raúl and I are going back through it together. I highly recommend all of this course. It was such a blessing to me to be able to do this course within a group because the group discussion activities lend for deeper connections. Instead of the usual small talk or basic regurgitation of Bible study facts, this allowed for better personal examination and strengthening of community. I will likely use this series at some point for small group lessons, and I'd recommend it for personal use or small group use. This book addresses what the church should be addressing but often doesn't--how our pasts impact our present behaviors, how we use ministry as a way of avoiding maturing emotionally, and how there is no real spiritual growth without emotional growth. A lot of the topics covered in this book are also topics I've read about in books by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, but this book contains a lot of those topics using biblical foundations without getting too psychological.
2) Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe by Erin S. Lane. I don't remember exactly where I heard of this book. It may have been from the book The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I don't think this book is exactly what I expected, honestly. But, I appreciated its deeply personal, memoir nature. I don't know that I agree with all of the author's viewpoints, but I do feel like we could sit down over some cups of coffee and have a few "Yes! That's exactly how I feel" kind of moments. This book is a good way to understand how some of the people from my generation view church especially within North America. A lot of Christian culture has shifted, and with it, the approach to church. This book is a good way for someone struggling with church to know he/she is not alone. This book is divided into convenient anecdotes and threaded thoughts and sometimes, out of nowhere, will hit you with a valuable nugget of wisdom. Just to give you a couple of examples:
"When the going gets rough, turn to wonder. . . . Wonder is a powerful [antidote] to cynicism."
"...she advocates for relationships that hinge on being with rather than working for the needy among us."
"Christians are often cloudy about the distinction between losing our life to Christ and losing one's self in community. . . . a healthy community should help us shed the false selves we've constructed--the facades of pride, privilege, and protectiveness that keep us alienated from one another--and uncover the person we are by God's design."
3) The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers. I worked some fiction into my world, and it was enjoyable. As is usually the case, I got to a certain point in this book where I was so sucked in that I had to finish just to get anything done in my life and housework. I think that's why Emily P. Freeman says that she reads fiction on weekends. I, too, suffer from story addiction. I liked this book though I still haven't read anything by Francine Rivers that lives up to her Mark of the Lion series or Redeeming Love in my personal opinion. At some point in a lot of her books, when her characters are making choices that we all know will lead to great heartache, I can't help but think, "If these characters knew what healthy boundaries were, there would be no conflict in this book." But, the reality is that most people don't know what healthy boundaries are especially in marriage, and that's a lot of what this book explores. It follows two women in two different time frames and how they find themselves and their confidence in the midst of tumultuous home lives whenever they meet Jesus. The story and character development were good enough to suck me in, but I found the ending to be just a little bit anticlimactic and cliche. I'd still recommend it though because I especially liked getting two very different stories in one.
4) Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst. I think this book was meant for me in an earlier season of life. I still appreciated a lot of her experiences, analogies, and wisdom. I just wasn't walking through the deep valley of rejection at this time when I have in other times. The central theme of this book is overcoming rejection and its ongoing ripples in our lives. It addresses both deep wounds from abandonment and misunderstandings that come from believing the worst about what others think about us. She has a very personal, southern hospitality kind of style of writing. And, her points are established by her inclusion of supporting Scriptures. A couple of excerpts that made their way into my journal are:
"We project the line of rejection we heard from our past on others and hold them accountable for words they never said. And worst of all, we catch ourselves wondering if God secretly agrees with those who hurt us."
"We think we are freeing ourselves from the pain when, in reality, what numbs us imprisons us. If we avoid the hurt, the hurt creates a void in us."
Thanks for reading so far! I really enjoy blogging even if it can sometimes feel like it's only for my own benefit. And, as always, I'd love to hear any reading recommendations or any of the joys you feel like are worth letting the world know about.
In case you didn't catch them in the post above, here are all of the links that are hidden throughout my ramblings:
1) A super carrot cake recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/11/super-moist-carrot-cake/
2) Some awesome worship to encourage you, "Fight My Battles/Surrounded" by Upper Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAqymNcBTk
3) Annihilation trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89OP78l9oF0
4) Selma trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6t7vVTxaic
5) Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmOeEaDTK-E
Sarah
Good Eats:
1) Buffalo meatballs. These originally were going to be buffalo chicken meatballs, but when I went to find ground chicken, they didn't have any in the section of prepackaged meats from the deli/butchering section. And, what can I say? If I can avoid making another line to ask for something specifically, I generally do. So, I actually made these with part ground beef and part ground sausage. I took inspiration from a couple of different recipes, but the most noteworthy aspects were including minced celery and blue cheese crumbles in the meatballs. They were great! I made a big enough batch to freeze that we ate them in the form of a salad, subs, spaghetti, and in homemade tomato soup.
2) Carrot cake. Raúl has clients of all kinds of people, and sometimes, they show up and give him fresh produce. This month, a client showed up with a huge bag of carrots. So we ate carrot everything for a week or so. I more or less used the recipe in the link because I had some extra yogurt I needed to use up. We had it for a birthday party for a friend in our small group, and it received good reviews by all. I'd definitely make it again--it's just the talking myself into grating all those carrots that's the challenge.
3) Ginger ale with lime. This is a beverage my spiritual mama got me hooked on while I was in the States. I'm a fan of ginger ale when I'm sick, but adding a bit of lime makes it a refreshing drink for a hot, summer day. If you haven't tried it, you definitely should.
Simple Joys
 |
| from wornontv.net |
 |
| From cbs.com |
 |
| From wornontv.net |
2) Purposefully setting a Sabbath. When I was a senior in college, my cousin was my roommate, and both she and my best friend at the time were seekers within the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination. I'm not tied to any particular denomination, but I respected how both of them purposefully set aside a day in their week to be Sabbath. Homework and work and just overall routine life was off-limits for one day out of the week. My cousin spent a lot of time reading, listening to worship music, exercising, and sometimes sharing some special down time with other people. At the time, I was discerning what following Jesus looked like for me without falling into legalistic rules of religion, so I wasn't too keen on putting a rule for myself involving Sabbath at that point in time. Now, however, I recently reflected on this aspect of the Christian life again via the course Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and I found a desire in me to be more purposeful about rest. My Sundays were already mostly free and relaxing, but in being more purposeful, I've been able to say better no to things/jobs/favors that I know are just going to stress me out and steal my rest. As a doer, it can be overwhelming sometimes to let myself enjoy some down time without rushing to wash the dishes that need washed or running the errand that needs done, but all of that stuff will still be there on Monday anyway. Stopping in spite of all of that is holy in a small way and life-restoring.
3) "Fight My Battles/Surrounded" by Upper Room (though there are other versions as well). My spiritual mama recently sent me this song. It's amazing how such simple lyrics can be so powerful. I hadn't heard any music by Upper Room previously, but I like it! It's always so exciting discovering another corner of the world and another group of people passionately going after God's presence in worship. I find my heart echoed in the worship of others.
What I've Watched:
1) Annihilation. From what I understand, this is actually in theaters in the States, but it's already streaming on Netflix here. I watched this at the recommendation of my brother because we both like movies that make you think. This one definitely falls into that category! It's creative but very trippy, and it's not for everyone. I still can't really decide if I like it or not. What I can say without giving too much away is that it is very metaphorical and is not just a superficial thriller. I don't watch horror movies. I don't like fear for fear's sake, especially when something is just blatantly demonic. I will, however, watch psychological thrillers. I need a reason for the madness, a light at the end of the tunnel. This movie mostly has that and a lot of visual beauty if you can handle the insane journey it takes to get there.
 |
| from cinemorgue.wikia.com |
2) Sherlock from the BBC. I recently read that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary character is one of the most portrayed human characters in TV and film, and I have to say that I'm still not bored with the portrayals I've seen so far. Over the four seasons, the show often relies on the dynamic of untrustworthy narrators and perspectives, but the twists are always very intriguing and don't feel trite to me. The dynamic between Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, feels like any real human relationship. Character development and the impact of human emotions is not lost in the midst of their adventures. If anything they're developed better as a result of their cases. I so hope they start making episodes again.
3) Selma. Raúl and I are studying for the US citizenship test, and we've been covering the era of civil rights. After trying unsuccessfully a few times to explain who Martin Luther King, Jr. was, I decided it would be in the best interest of us both to watch a movie that would have a better impact in showing who he was and why he was so important. Raúl has a really short attention span, and he's been known to fall asleep in all kinds of movies. But, this movie surprisingly held captive his attention. Seeing the depiction of what happened on Bloody Sunday and just feeling the weight of the hard choices of sacrifice that were made to pave the way for others was inspiring to watch. And, it's amazing both the strides that have been made within the lifetimes of Raúl's and my parents and the fact that racism and many of the issues addressed in this film have not been resolved at their heart. It's a topic that could be unpacked in so many different ways. But, as I recently heard in a sermon by Bill Johnson, "God has all of the solutions to all of the world's problems." As a representative of Jesus, I hope I can be part of the solutions.
Books I Finished in March:
 |
| from zondervan.com |
1) Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course, including Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality all by Peter Scazzero. This is the study that we did at Ladies' Bible Study starting at the beginning of this year. Currently, Raúl and I are going back through it together. I highly recommend all of this course. It was such a blessing to me to be able to do this course within a group because the group discussion activities lend for deeper connections. Instead of the usual small talk or basic regurgitation of Bible study facts, this allowed for better personal examination and strengthening of community. I will likely use this series at some point for small group lessons, and I'd recommend it for personal use or small group use. This book addresses what the church should be addressing but often doesn't--how our pasts impact our present behaviors, how we use ministry as a way of avoiding maturing emotionally, and how there is no real spiritual growth without emotional growth. A lot of the topics covered in this book are also topics I've read about in books by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, but this book contains a lot of those topics using biblical foundations without getting too psychological.
 |
| from goodreads.com |
2) Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe by Erin S. Lane. I don't remember exactly where I heard of this book. It may have been from the book The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I don't think this book is exactly what I expected, honestly. But, I appreciated its deeply personal, memoir nature. I don't know that I agree with all of the author's viewpoints, but I do feel like we could sit down over some cups of coffee and have a few "Yes! That's exactly how I feel" kind of moments. This book is a good way to understand how some of the people from my generation view church especially within North America. A lot of Christian culture has shifted, and with it, the approach to church. This book is a good way for someone struggling with church to know he/she is not alone. This book is divided into convenient anecdotes and threaded thoughts and sometimes, out of nowhere, will hit you with a valuable nugget of wisdom. Just to give you a couple of examples:
"When the going gets rough, turn to wonder. . . . Wonder is a powerful [antidote] to cynicism."
"...she advocates for relationships that hinge on being with rather than working for the needy among us."
"Christians are often cloudy about the distinction between losing our life to Christ and losing one's self in community. . . . a healthy community should help us shed the false selves we've constructed--the facades of pride, privilege, and protectiveness that keep us alienated from one another--and uncover the person we are by God's design."
 |
| from amazon.com |
3) The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers. I worked some fiction into my world, and it was enjoyable. As is usually the case, I got to a certain point in this book where I was so sucked in that I had to finish just to get anything done in my life and housework. I think that's why Emily P. Freeman says that she reads fiction on weekends. I, too, suffer from story addiction. I liked this book though I still haven't read anything by Francine Rivers that lives up to her Mark of the Lion series or Redeeming Love in my personal opinion. At some point in a lot of her books, when her characters are making choices that we all know will lead to great heartache, I can't help but think, "If these characters knew what healthy boundaries were, there would be no conflict in this book." But, the reality is that most people don't know what healthy boundaries are especially in marriage, and that's a lot of what this book explores. It follows two women in two different time frames and how they find themselves and their confidence in the midst of tumultuous home lives whenever they meet Jesus. The story and character development were good enough to suck me in, but I found the ending to be just a little bit anticlimactic and cliche. I'd still recommend it though because I especially liked getting two very different stories in one.
 |
| from amazon.com |
4) Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst. I think this book was meant for me in an earlier season of life. I still appreciated a lot of her experiences, analogies, and wisdom. I just wasn't walking through the deep valley of rejection at this time when I have in other times. The central theme of this book is overcoming rejection and its ongoing ripples in our lives. It addresses both deep wounds from abandonment and misunderstandings that come from believing the worst about what others think about us. She has a very personal, southern hospitality kind of style of writing. And, her points are established by her inclusion of supporting Scriptures. A couple of excerpts that made their way into my journal are:
"We project the line of rejection we heard from our past on others and hold them accountable for words they never said. And worst of all, we catch ourselves wondering if God secretly agrees with those who hurt us."
"We think we are freeing ourselves from the pain when, in reality, what numbs us imprisons us. If we avoid the hurt, the hurt creates a void in us."
Thanks for reading so far! I really enjoy blogging even if it can sometimes feel like it's only for my own benefit. And, as always, I'd love to hear any reading recommendations or any of the joys you feel like are worth letting the world know about.
In case you didn't catch them in the post above, here are all of the links that are hidden throughout my ramblings:
1) A super carrot cake recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/11/super-moist-carrot-cake/
2) Some awesome worship to encourage you, "Fight My Battles/Surrounded" by Upper Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAqymNcBTk
3) Annihilation trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89OP78l9oF0
4) Selma trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6t7vVTxaic
5) Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmOeEaDTK-E
Sarah
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