"You have everything you need." -- The Rise of Skywalker {December 2019 Recap}

November and December were fill with so much life and precious family moments that I felt like taking a hiatus to just breathe it all deeply in was the what the season was calling for. But, now that I am back in Honduras and slowly but surely finding a rhythm once again, I want to take the time to provide closure to a year of great blessings and all of the little things that made December special.

What I Ate: 


Photo by Lightscape

1) Vietnamese Food. I love trying new foods, and after all of the wedding festivities, my family and I dropped by this hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant in Morgantown, West Virginia. The place was quite quirky--you could only order via computers with an extensive menu, and most of the guys working there weren't Vietnamese but rather Latinos. Spanish for the win! I had a huge bowl of beef pho complete with a bar of add-your-own toppings, a beef banh mi with some tangy, delicious sauce, and a ridiculously sweet (in a good way) Thai tea. It hit the spot, and I would gladly eat it all again.

2) Christmas Dinner: Our Christmas dinner was extra special this year because it was such a collaboration of effort from all of us--my sister, my new sister-in-law, and myself. We had a ton of food and a ton of leftovers! It was such a special night. The following are just a fraction of some of the things made that evening; there was also an amazing cake baked by my sister-in-law and a giant bowl of feta cheese mashed potatoes made by my sister (among other things!):

Bacon-Wrapped, Cream Cheese-Stuffed Dates. These were exactly what the sound like. The only additional treasure added was a pecan in the very middle of the cream cheese. You bake them until the bacon is done. While less practical, I prefer the smaller dates because they give a less sweet bit overall and help balance out the sweet and savory better.

Jalapeño Poppers. A missionary friend of mine often makes these for Bible study snacks, and they are always a hit. I decided to follow in her footsteps and these were no exception. They were simple but popular. Jalapeños are sliced length-wise and de-seeded. Then you mix cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bit of garlic powder and stuff that mixture into the jalapeños. Then you wrap them up in bacon slice pieces and bake them until the bacon is cooked and the cheese is melting.

Portabello Pot Roast. My cousin, who is a vegan, came to dinner as well, and in wanting to make something worthy of a Christmas dinner for her, this was quite a hit. It's essentially Beef Bourguignon using portobello mushrooms in place of the beef. The red wine makes all the difference in flavor. Here is a recipe for reference. I didn't make it in an Instapot. https://avirtualvegan.com/vegan-instant-pot-portobello-pot-roast/

Harvest Roasted Vegetable Salad. This was probably my favorite dish of the night, and it was the first of the leftovers to go. And, it was so easy! All I did was cut up and roast some butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. I mixed those things together and added a gremolata made out of grated garlic, chopped pecans, and finely chopped dill, parsley, and rosemary. If you like a touch of sweetness, you can add Craisins, but since we had enough sweet and savory foods going on, I left those out. A DIY honey mustard vinaigrette with minced shallots makes it something special.

Compound Butter. I'm always astounded by how a little extra effort can transform something simple into something special. Compound butter is so easy to make. It's really just about whipping butter with whatever flavors you want to add. I made two kinds--one sweet and one savory--but the savory one was the favorite. I whipped butter with lemon zest, lemon juice, grated garlic, and various finely chopped herbs like sage, rosemary, parsley, and dill. But, you can really make it with any herbs you have on hand and feel like make a good combination.

Bon Appetit Green Bean Casserole. I don't normally follow a recipe to a T, but since we were looking for a green bean casserole recipe that didn't use the typical canned cream of mushroom soup, this seemed to have potential. And it turned out great! Even for those of us who don't normally like green bean casserole liked it. It's just that little bit of extra effort sometimes that gives something old a little something new. Here is the recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-green-bean-casserole

What I Watched:

1) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I can still remember the first time I ever saw a Star Wars movie in theaters. I saw the original trilogy out of order because one of the original movies was having like a 20th anniversary re-release in theaters. My dad was so excited to share something from his own childhood with us, and it's remained a family favorite. So, naturally, I watched the newest movie with my family, and while opinions from die-hard fans were rather split, my whole family liked it. I can understand some of the sentiments that this movie felt rushed because it did have an awful lot of questions to answer and ground to cover in just one movie, but I think it did justice to its characters and to the story arcs as a whole. Adam Driver was exceptional as Kylo Ren. The nostalgia was honored. And I thought the ending was great. It didn't feel quite as emotional and final to me as Avengers: End Game, but I think that's mainly because there were fewer movies to dig deep into the characters and develop deep attachments. With that said, the chemistry among the major characters of the new trilogy is uniquely special and demonstrates excellence in casting. Overall, I was satisfied.

2) Little Women. I grew up watching the Winona Ryder version of Little Women usually around winter time, and I loved the book when I was little. I was looking forward to this movie as soon as I heard it was coming out, but I got worried when I heard that the ending wasn't quite as previous films. There was no need for worry. This movie was excellent. I am a fan of Saoirse Ronan in general, and she was a great choice to play Jo. She's feisty as the character should be, but Greta Gerwig did a great job of keeping her and all of the other women simultaneously strong but able to demonstrate need. Seeing Jo get lonely, seeing behind the curtains of Meg's marriage, and watching Marmie hold more family responsibility than she should have with both grace and frustration made these characters much more human. And while the ending was different, it also did a lot more justice to the truth of Louisa May Alcott's life and desires as an author. It's always a risk to re-do something that is already so beloved, but the risk here pays off so well because it peels back entirely new layers to the story and empowers its characters in ways previously not portrayed.

3) The Peanut Butter Falcon. I watched this on the plane back to Honduras with no prior knowledge of what it was about. I just watched it because my brother wanted to see it, and he's my movie guy. I loved it. Everything about it is just so sincere and heart-warming. The movie follows the story of Zak (played by Zack Gottsagen), a man with Down syndrome who dreams of being a wrestler and going to the wrestling school of his favorite wrestler. He escapes from a home for the elderly and is pursued by his caring social worker, Eleanor (played by Dakota Johnson). Along with way, his path crosses with a troubled young man on the run (played by Shia LaBeouf) who decides to help Zak achieve his dream. The whole concept for the movie started when the writer-directors met Zack Gottsagen in a camp for people with disabilities. He expressed his desire to be a movie star, and they wrote a movie essentially incorporating many of the elements of who he is in real life. It took six years for them to generate the funding to make a feature, and they basically just knocked on the doors of potential actors to star, sharing the concept, the script, and a proof-of-concept video. Many of the best lines from the movie were improvised by Zack Gottsagen, and the familial chemistry he has with Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson is evident in the press they did for the movie. Shia LaBeouf credits Zack's influence as being a major reason for his getting sober. There is something so special when the actors in a work have a true familial bond off-screen because it usually translates into something meaningful onscreen. This is a great movie I'd recommend to anyone.

4) The Mandalorian. My brother got our whole family into watching this Star Wars series together on Disney+, and it did not disappoint. It's so unique. It brings all the best elements of Star Wars, including some familiar elements, without pandering too much. But, it has an entirely different kind of feel since it aims to carry some elements of a spaghetti western. With directors like Bryce Dallas Howard and Taika Waititi and a creator like Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian is full of adventure and humor and cuteness...because Baby Yoda, ya'll.

What I Read:


Photo from Amazon

1) The Father's Blessing by John Arnott. This book is older, and it relates some of the history of the revival that was sparked in Toronto. There have been a lot of ministries that were affected by that revival including, Heidi Baker of Iris Global. The author of the book is the pastor of the church where the revival began. It was interesting to hear his perspective, and I appreciated his humility in sharing his insecurities and fears when all of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit began. He does a good job of walking his readers through some of the doubts or questions they might have in relation to the things that were taking place at the time of the revival. Here are a few excerpts that made their way into my journal:

"If your name is written in heaven, you are a success already."

"We have to have more faith in God's ability to bless us than in Satan's ability to deceive us." 

Photo from Amazon

2) The Barnabas Factor by Hal Boehm. The author of this book is the pastor of my parents' church, and he and his wife have graciously been a lot of help in recommendations and ministry resources for me. This book covers a lot of territory, but at its heart, it aims to encourage people to be secure in who God has called them to be and to champion the Kingdom of God rather than letting personal ego dictate your life direction and ministry. Using the example of Barnabas with Paul, Pastor Hal especially emphasizes how much our willingness to humbly champion and encourage others can change the world. Barnabas started out by discipling Paul and eventually knew when Paul had stopped needing discipled and needed to be free to flourish in his own giftings. This is the mark of a good leader and one secure in his own identity and calling. This book has a lot of good nuggets of wisdom; here are a couple I jotted down:

"If you will build My house, I will build yours."

"He first gives the desire for the thing He wills, then He supplies the gifts needed to accomplish it."  


Photo from Target

3) Money and The Prosperous Soul by Stephen K. De Silva. This book was really excellent. I feel like any time a Christian book addresses the topic of money--especially when it's in the title--the immediate association is with name-it, claim-it, prosperity gospel. Context is so important when it comes to the Bible and that's not just context of what words are spoken around a passage but also the context of God's character. This book is not a prosperity gospel kind of book. It starts at the heart of any issue with money which is also the heart of every other issue--the state of our soul. He emphasizes how external circumstances cannot dictate success or wealth because so many of our soul wounds can continue to lead us into bad habits and choices if we haven't healed from them. And he fights for the context that our hearts and characters need to line up with the person of Jesus. When we stay close to Him, our desires won't be selfish or for personal gain. We will be driven by love. If nothing else, this book, in a round-about way, ponders a truly valuable question--what if we were as concerned and adamant that our souls prosper as we often are that our bank account prospers? Here are a few of the many excerpts that stuck with me:

"Success, in God's terms, is defined entirely by becoming a certain kind of person--in fact, by becoming like Christ."
"Without divine wisdom and courage, human beings, no matter how well-intentioned and educated, are bound to fail. Our plans may seem to work for a while, creating 'growth' and 'stability.' But lasting growth and stability can only be built on one foundation, and it's not the one we've been using." 
"If you have God, you have everything. If you've received the Father's gift of Christ, you have no reason to think or act as if you lack anything. We mature in Christ by leaving behind our old worries over what we need and boldly giving our full attention to this gift." 
"Toil is an oppressive spiritual force that, among other things, separates work from its spiritual purpose and drives away the other vital activities necessary for maintaining our connection with God's presence." 
"In faith, we must press forward to take hold of God's promises, resisting everything that would disqualify us from receiving all that He has for us." 
"We are in a family business--and our business is making family. Every aspect of fulfilling our purpose works through relationship. The Great Commission did not come with a ten-step model or a business plan. It came with Christ's promises to be with us always, showing us how to be sons like Him and how to invite others into sonship." 

Favorites:
1) Time with Family. God extended a special kind of grace to me this year in so much special family time. My family is one of the greatest gifts that God ever gave me. They serve me and love me well. They remind me of who I am and encourage me to be braver than I often feel. They give me a safe space, and no one makes me laugh more. As we're entering a season where we may all be going in separate directions and transitioning to a new definition of what our family looks like and how we find time for one another, I feel so blessed that God gave us so much time this year to savor and cherish.

As we are now in 2020, I am excited for the future even though transitioning back to Honduras is so hard for me initially. I am so thankful for the community God has given to walk with me, and I pray that your 2020 is off to a great start.