June 2021 Round Up and Recap

Photo by Kirsi Kataniemi

June was another crazy month as Raúl and I prepared to travel to the US, where we are now. Thus, this is another round up of the posts I would have done last month if I wouldn't have gotten so swamped. 

God's Promises: He Works All Things for Our Good

Romans 8:28 is one of the Christian catchphrases that can become trite or incite an eye roll when doled out as a quick-fix band-aid when good listening or compassion is needed. With that said, it doesn't mean that it is any less true. Let's take a look at a verse many of can rattle off without thinking:

"So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose." -- The Passion Translation

"And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose." - The Amplified Version

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." - The Message

"We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan." - The Voice

It can be helpful sometimes to read a new version of the Bible when words become tired or overused. It can also be refreshing to really pay attention to each word, each one carrying perhaps a new nuance we haven't considered before. Just looking at the above versions, I recognize that I deeply desire, especially in this season of life, to be thoroughly convinced with great confidence that anything that happens to me, He is fully capable and is actively transforming into something for my benefit. It's not something I want to say or believe just because I'm supposed to. It's something I want to arise from my depths, so it starts in the place of truly receiving God's love and believing in it. That kind of confidence is not something that we can admire from afar. It's a depth we have to swim in. His working things together for good isn't a haphazard, throw-something-together kind of approach. It is purposeful, leaving nothing wasted, the marriage of left-brain careful planning and right-brain artistry that values not just function but also beauty. It truly is about every last detail. Every reflection of light, no loose threads, every brushstroke, no surfaces in need of sanding, no variable unaccounted for, no last-minute "oh I forgot," every note melodic, every bloom perfectly arranged. His work isn't based on obligation to us any more than our confidence should be based on an obligation to have faith in Him. It's his very nature. He loves divine order (which to our limited minds and perspective may look like chaos from time to time). He craves when all of the pieces are put in their place just as we might enjoy those quirky YouTube videos of perfect organization as pleasing as a good Tetris game. 

I also really appreciate how The Message expands on this verse to include more context. These words are said in the context of waiting fatigue. About that time when our muscles are burning because we've been hanging on for so long, about that time that we're wondering if anything is ever going to change, about that time that we feel our human limitations so keenly that we're nearly overtaken with distraught to the point of not knowing how to pray, He is saying that we can rely on a steadfast safety net that every single thing that happens to us is working for our good when we are living within His will and purpose. 

That last little bit of the verse has always been the clincher for me, and the reason why I think I can be filled with anxiety about making decisions. Am I really in God's will? If I'm not, it might not go well for me. How can I know for sure I'm in His will? That's why I really like The Voice version of this verse because of that word "invitation." I meet with a spiritual director on a monthly basis, and the word "invitation" is one that she brings up in nearly every session. What is God's invitation to you in this season, in the midst of X, Y, and Z? I think we can tend to see living in God's will like some sort of test as if God is just waiting for us to step on a moral landmine or just waiting till we skew into some kind of a legal loophole, so He doesn't have to come through on His part of the deal. But, that's our defensive, anxious thinking. He extends an invitation. It's not a standardized test. It's an embossed, gold-leaf decorated invitation complete with hand-drawn calligraphy and a wax seal. A helpful reminder that I have held onto for many years when it comes to discerning whether or not I'm in the will of God is something that Brother Lawrence said in The Practice of the Presence of God. He said something to the effect of, "As long as your greatest desire and dedication is to the person and presence of God, He will not let you be deceived." As long as He is our One Thing above all else, we won't be led astray from His will, His divine purposes, and all the divine good He is working on our behalf.

As Raúl and I head into his citizenship test, every day, I am taking a breath and reminding myself that regardless of the outcome, even when our efforts feel limited, and I am wondering if it's enough, we cannot escape His goodness. It is truly pursuing us even if the answer is that he doesn't receive it. We willingly accept His invitation to live according to His plan and trust that while we can only do our human best, we can't escape receiving His perfect, limitless best no matter what may seem like human failure or triumph. 

Just Dust: June 2021 Recap

June was the month of recognizing just how dusty I am. What I mean by that comes from the Psalms when it talks about how God knows we are just dust. He has such compassion on us because we are frail and limited and really just doing the best that we can. I can't produce more hours in a day. I can't even get done everything on my to do list in a day a lot of days. I can't control a virus I can't see or a storm that's incoming or the emotions of those around me. I can't control when the electricity is going to be off or when the taxi drivers are going to strike and block the roads. Sometimes, I don't know why I feel a certain way or why I'm wrestling with fatigue or why life just feels a little too heavy. But, I can give myself permission to be the dust that I am, to receive the compassion given to me so freely, and to trust that it is in my very dusty limitations where God can make Himself more fully known. 

What I Read:

From Amazon

1) Yes Please by Amy Poehler (Audiobook). (Be advised that this has strong language.) I always enjoy having the opportunity to get a peek into the humanity of people I see on screen. I remember Amy Poehler's SNL days, and I liked Parks and Rec. This book was fun to listen to in Amy's own voice and humorous delivery, and it was a lot of fun to get inside information both into the shows and projects she has been a part of but also just the insecurities and struggles she navigated. There are a lot of fun childhood anecdotes, which are great because it's fun to know where people come from and what makes them who they are. 

From Amazon

2) Becoming Fire: Experiencing the Presence of Jesus Every Day by Jeanie Miley. This was a book I snagged from my grandfather's library. It's a devotional I've been plugging along at for over a year, and every time I open the book, if I stick my nose in the binding, it smells like my grandparents' house. The approach to this devotional is to look at a specific Bible story for a week and challenge yourself to imagine what it would be like to be each person in the story. It's a unique approach to reading the Bible and relating to God, and I enjoyed it. 

From Amazon

3) The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk. This book had been on my list for quite some time since it's so paramount to understanding trauma and trauma treatment. It took me a while to read it, but that was mainly because it was so thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to anyone even those who haven't suffered trauma or had trauma close to them simply because the neuroscience and research is so fascinating. It's astounding to learn how our brains work in self-preservation and what unique, experiential ways can re-open a brain that has become trapped in trauma. Here are some quotes that I found interesting enough to write in my journal.

"After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor's energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their life. These attempts to maintain control over unbearable physiological reactions can result in a whole range of physical symptoms, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and other autoimmune diseases. This explains why it is critical for trauma treatment to engage the entire organism, body, mind, and brain." 

"Gangs, extremist political parties, and religious cults may provide solace, but they rarely foster the mental flexibility needed to be fully open to what life has to offer and as such cannot liberate their members from their traumas." 

"Immobilization is at the root of most traumas."

"So many traumatized people have trouble learning from experience and fully engaging in their daily lives." 


What I Ate:



1) Homemade Passionfruit Soda. In Honduras, the supermarkets sell pureed fruit for making a fruit drink called fresco natural or what is called aguafresca in Mexico. I'm typically not someone that drinks a lot of pop (or soda depending on where you're from), but in the hot months, when the humidity is sweltering, sometimes something cold and carbonated hits the spot. I decided to make passionfruit syrup my mixing the fruit puree (that typically includes some measure of water) and sugar. Once the syrup was sweet enough and reduced down somewhat, I just put it in the fridge. Whenever I had the urge, I mixed some with some club soda, and voila! Passionfruit soda.

2) Change Your Life Chicken. This recipe comes courtesy of Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius. It is so easy and tasty that I have made it multiple times in the last few weeks. I don't always have chicken thighs with the skin on, so just be aware that it does work to make chicken thighs that don't have skin. You just won't get that crispy factor. My go-to for the vegetables tends to be sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and green beans. 

https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/change-your-life-chicken

3) Huevos Rancheros. Over a decade ago, I traveled to Honduras with a short-term team. The cook for those teams at the time was a lovely Canadian lady who made huevos rancheros. This recipe has been passed down from cook to cook and is a favorite of most Hondurans I know who have had the chance to try it. It's a bit different from the usual tortilla-based huevos rancheros. This one is more like a casserole, and it's great for feeding a crowd because it's so easy. If you want to bolster it up some, you can always add ground sausage and some veggies. Basically, you crack 15-20 eggs into a greased, glass casserole dish. You put those in the oven on medium heat to bake. Meanwhile, you make up a kind of red sauce. Generally, this is tomato-based. I tend to mix already mixed sofrito and tomato paste with some water and spices. But you could mix some tomato paste and tomate puree with spices like cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Warm that up on the stovetop. Once your eggs are almost completely set, add the sauce on top, spreading it out evenly. Return it to the oven and bake for a while longer. Lastly, add some shredded cheddar cheese on top and return it to the oven to bake just until the cheese is melted. My mister and community kids love to eat it with Honduran sour cream and corn tortillas. 


Photo by Sandie Clarke

4) Rosemary Chicken Avocado Pitas with Honey Feta Sauce. This was a nice switch up to our meal tendencies, and the honey feta sauce was unexpected. We didn't have bacon, but I wouldn't skimp on it because it would make it better. Here is the recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/rosemary-chicken-and-avocado-bacon-pitas/

5) Herb Scones. I had an overabundance of herbs like dill, rosemary, parsley, basil, and thyme, so I made these scones. They were really good fresh out of the oven. The recipe is below. You just have to keep scrolling until you see the options of what you can make with her master scone recipe.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/scones-recipe/

6) Cheddar Jalapeño Scones. These were really good. I didn't have pickled jalapeños, so I used fresh. They were still good. They didn't have a ton of spice, but that may just have been my batch of peppers. Here is the recipe:
https://www.theblackpeppercorn.com/cheddar-jalapeno-mini-scones/

What I Watched:

1) BlackkKlansman. Spike Lee achieved such a delicate balance of humor and rage and despair in this movie that I wasn't sure how to react to the roller coaster after I got off. In this movie, a black police detective starts an undercover operation by calling to be a member of the KKK via the telephone. He earns the trust of Ryan Eggold's character, and soon, Adam Driver is sent in as his in-person double to investigate if the KKK is planning acts of violence. Really, all of the acting is great. Be advised--the language in this film is incredibly jarring, but I think it serves Spike Lee's purpose well of inciting rage before flipping the tables and inciting humor all through merely portraying reality. The fact that the movie is based on a true story is really what completes the roller coaster ride, and the ending brought both laughter and tears. It's worth a watch, but you may want to mentally prepare yourself for it.

2) Fresh, Fried, and Crispy. This show on Netflix follows a YouTube star (I think? I hadn't heard of him, but I'm not necessarily up on YouTube stars) who seeks out great fried foods in different cities and chooses which one from each location is his favorite. The food on this show looks excellent, so I'm a fan of the cinematography. I can't decide if the host is charismatic or too over-the-top--probably a mixture of both. It was a nice, lighthearted watch. My one gripe is that the host is very anti-vegetables. He refuses to eat lettuce or tomatoes on a sandwich. My general feeling as someone who likes to cook is that if you're going to be a food critic, you have to try the food as it was intended by the creator. Taking off tomatoes and lettuce and throwing them on the floor is a disservice to the experience of the food as a whole. Other than that, it was cool to "meet" some charming cooks and chefs in some unique-looking areas. 

3) Nomadland. Since it swept the Oscars and Chloe Zhao is set to direct the upcoming Marvel movie, The Eternals, I gave this movie a shot on the plane ride to the US. The movie follows Fern, an elderly widow who decides to live life out of van following a series of losses, especially that of her husband. As road trip movies go, I think I like Into the Wild more. But, it was really interesting to know that many of the people who appear in the film aren't actors and are actual nomads living in their vans and RVs. The movie is really a series of vignettes more than a cohesive plot, but it has some really sweet moments and pretty scenery. It's compassion-stirring to realize how the economy and work culture can contribute to the desire or need to pick up and live a transient life out of a van. Be advised: It has some nudity. 

4) Gifted. This was my second plane ride watch. Mckenna Grace is a champion child actor, and it's always fun to see Chris Evans beyond the Captain America role that introduced me to him. This movie follows an extremely talented child whose mathematic genius echoes that of her own deceased mother. She is being raised by her maternal uncle, but some family conflicts threaten their ability to stay an unconventional family. It was a sweet watch. I find that I never want to watch anything too emotionally heavy or complicated on planes because I'm usually still on a stress hangover from all the prep leading up to leaving. This was a nice option.

5) Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has long been a shared family enjoyment. So, naturally, since I was behind on Disney+ shows, I had to catch up. This series, while not really full of anything new in terms of advancing the MCU overarching story, was a lot of fun. It had surprising emotion and depth while also still feeling like a buddy cop comedy with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. It was interesting to think about how the world would have been affected following the events of Infinity War, and I enjoyed it.

6) WandaVision. This show was so unique and also did advance the MCU story lines though cryptically. I loved the call backs to sitcoms from previous decades, and I enjoyed getting more of Wanda's backstory. Despite obviously being full of magic and fantasy, it was also a poignant exploration of grief and how our brains try to protect us. This also made Elizabeth Olsen a lot more endearing to me as an actress, and Kathryn Hahn, as always, has such incredible acting range. Kat Dennings is great for comic relief and sass. The pace of the show was also pretty great in that the last couple of episodes really make the viewer feel like they have been hit hard with reality at a breakneck speed just as Wanda has. It makes for some scrambling trying to understand how it all works, but all in all, I liked it. 

As summer is now belting us with heat and sunshine, may we all have some glimpses of clarity, some realizations of how God is working things for our good. May we play outside, get dirty, and give ourselves permission to just be dust in need of a graceful Savior. May we walk barefoot in the grass, laugh hard, and use our imagination. May we sense the gift from God our bodies are and feed both our physical and spiritual being. May we pay attention to those around us and listen to their stories with intention. And may we find unexpected treasure in God's word, in the nature He created, in our relationships, and in the details of our days.