Encouraged: July 2020 Recap
July was a very full month. It's amazing how so much can be packed into a month that not only felt like it flew by but also started with true, concerned-about-health quarantine that ended up being a false alarm (we think?). Life is still mostly confined to my house, but I am finding a full life even in those limitations. God met us even in the midst of the heartache and crisis going on around us at the beginning of the month. He allowed Himself to be found in such sweet ways, and He proved His faithfulness over and over. One big encouragement for me this month was preparing to start grad school to get a master's in Christian counseling. It still astounds me that God has financially made a way for me to start in what seems like simultaneously the perfect time and also the most bizarre time. This is a dream that I have had for quite a while and have wrestled with the Lord and myself about. I'm nervous to start classes in August, but I'm also passionate and captivated by all the reading that I've been doing so far. In many ways, I feel like the Lord and I are just picking right back up where we left off academically in undergrad, and I'm discovering the unexpected ways He has guided me and given me wisdom all of this time even when I didn't know any science or theories to back it. His grace has been so sufficient for me even when I didn't sense it. I feel alive in a way that I haven't for a long time, and that encourages me in spite of the state of the world right now. Raúl and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary this month, and I am encouraged to look back and see how we have grown together and individually. I'm so thankful for my husband's continued willingness to just try, to keep growing and learning, and to receive the good God has for him in whatever form that takes (both in blessing and in discipline and hard lessons). We both just look back and marvel at the things that God has done in us and for us over the last three years that we never would have thought possible. As we head into August in a lockdown and a pandemic that no one expected to last this long, I am finding myself encouraged and grateful even though circumstances haven't entirely shifted.
What I Read:
Photo from Amazon
1) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling.
Favorite quote from this book:
"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
Photo from Amazon
2) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling.
Favorite quote from this book:
"Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike."
Photo from Amazon
3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling.
Photo from Amazon
4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. This whole series was so good. I don't think I have a specific favorite just because I love how the characters developed over the course of the whole series. I loved the creative world that J. K. Rowling created, and I have been grieving the end of the series since I finished. I think the overall pull it has is that it's unlike anything else I've ever read before. Sure, it has a lot of the same themes as other series, but the rules of the world she established and the inventions that sprung from that world were just so much fun. The series is already such a cultural force that I don't feel the need to actually go into what they're about. Next up--to track down the movies to watch.
Photo from Amazon
5) Homies + Hermanos: God and Gangs in Central America by Robert Brenneman. This book is a very academic look at how gang members in Central America are motivated to join gangs, what they encounter once in gangs, and how many of them leave the gangs--often to become evangelical Christians. The book's author uses academic research methodologies via interviews in order to come to his conclusions and make observations. One of the most thought-provoking (and I think true) assessments that he makes is that shame is generally what drives young people to join a gang (amidst many other factors as well)--shame over poverty, shame due to lack of a functional family, shame because of isolation or loneliness, shame over a lack of educational opportunities, etc. The book is thick with research and information and gives a good look at how gangs and the church relate. I really appreciated some of the insight into church mentalities within Central America. While I found many of his observations to be true, I never had quite the language to express what he expresses so concisely. This book took me a while to get through, but it's worth the read.
Photo from Amazon
6) Worship Writer's Guide by Dan McCollam. This book is incredibly short and delves into the practical aspects of writing songs including writing lyrics and writing melodies. The author invites the reader to find songs that demonstrate the concepts like word palettes, melody motifs, and counting syllables that he is introducing. It's a helpful reference for anyone who is wanting to develop their song writing skills.
Photo from Amazon
7) Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide by J. K. Rowling. As previously mentioned, I had a hard time letting go of the Harry Potter series, so I also read this little book that gave insight into little details that weren't included in the original series or that included the author's thoughts or writing process about the series. It was a fun read and a good way to end reading the series.
8) "How to Set Sticky Boundaries" by Elizabeth M. Johnson, MA
https://medium.com/@EMJMAWriting/how-to-set-sticky-boundaries-ef4f7fb2ab13
This blog post provides some great language and straightforward information about setting healthy boundaries.
9) "Knowing Your Processing Style and Why It Matters" by Lisa Dean
https://lisazdean.com/knowing-your-processing-style-and-why-it-matters/?fbclid=IwAR2eH38CiNLnN2niJ1UF8-uE2iwU2iC5r-VAhmoGHN6Esd-vT_oKefY1gRk
This blog post delves into the differences between internal and external processing which is great to keep in mind during these COVID times.
10) "Making the Invisible People Visible" by Sharon McKeeman
https://www.sharonmckeemanblog.com/2020/07/26/making-the-invisible-people-visible/?fbclid=IwAR26iJLvHTepGAocGs4rq5ntvkxfcbNJNfhjkaoA-nYlbEI2esPNIviR8-Q
I enjoyed reading this blog post about how COVID has affected people who have disabilities. I think it's so important to be able to tune into others' experiences and learn from them.
11) "When Did Recipe Writing Get So . . . Whitewashed?" by Priya Krishna.https://www.bonappetit.com/story/recipe-writing-whitewashed
By now, you already know that I love reading new perspectives. This interview was very eye-opening. I love to cook and try recipes from all over the world. I may not agree with all of the perspectives printed here (as someone who often has to substitute ingredients and make a recipe my own or "close enough"), but I appreciate understanding better how people of color may feel when they are sharing their cultural recipes. Recipes and family dishes are such a special part of each person's story and life experience. Every person will be very different, so it's special to think about this topic from many different angles. It's also helpful to understand how even the cookbook/recipe writing industry can have a structure that doesn't really make room for different cultures. As someone who has had to learn Honduran "recipes" not so much with measurements and concrete, written instructions but more so with oral instructions and histories, there is a lot of truth to some of their arguments.
What I Ate:
Photo by: Markus Winkler
1) Pho Soup. This recipe is a perfect example of the above article's perspectives. The broth for this traditional Vietnamese soup is unique and really good. My version did not do great justice to what I've had at an actual Vietnamese restaurant, but we still enjoyed it. We made our pho with rice noodles and thinly sliced pork. We topped the soup with lots of fresh herbs, and you can add sriracha or hoisin sauce. Here are some recipes for reference. Many of these pages have some good tips.
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/pho-recipe/
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/228443/authentic-pho/
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/4307/vietnamese-soup-pho/
2) Honey Garlic Ginger Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry. This recipe was easy and also good. We made it with broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. The recipe below is a great reference. We just added a good bit of grated ginger to the sauce.
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/honey-garlic-shrimp-stir-fry/
Photo by Heather Barnes
3) Fried Okra. Every so often, okra appears in the supermarket here. Most Hondurans that I know don't know what it is or what to do with it. I have to be honest in that the only way I actually enjoy okra is breaded and fried because the slime is for real ya'll. I made our okra with what I had on hand. I started by putting the sliced okra in a large container with a lid. I added some all purpose flour and shook that up. Then I mixed up some egg and milk and added that to the container and shook that up. Lastly, I mixed up some bread crumbs, semolina, cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. I added that, mixed it up to coat well. Then, we fried it. So good.
4) Romesco Macaroni and Cheese. This recipe is pretty straightforward. It's basically just macaroni and cheese with romesco sauce added in. It's not necessary to make a cheese sauce. You just add your cheeses to the romesco sauce as you're heating. I think I prefer romesco sauce on its own, but this was nice for a way to shake up a routine mac and cheese. Below is the recipe I followed:
https://www.mobkitchen.co.uk/recipes/romesco-mac-n-cheese
5) Corn Cherry Tomato Avocado Salad. Since I grew up in the country, and my family always had a garden, summertime means recipes with fresh produce. I, unfortunately, do not have a vegetable garden of my own, but this recipe hit the spot with grocery produce nonetheless. It was simply cooked corn, cherry tomatoes, chopped avocado, and chimichurri sauce.
6) Molasses Bread. Making this bread came about because I really wanted cornbread to eat with my black-eyed peas and ham, but for whatever reason, I haven't found cornmeal (maybe because I didn't know the word). I also didn't have canned corn or polenta. So, this was my foray into another southern, somewhat sweet bread. I miraculously did have molasses that I picked up a few weeks ago (another item that isn't always easy to find). It was simple and easy to whip up and pretty good if you like molasses. Here is the recipe I used:
https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/molasses-bread
7) Thai Red Curry Sauce. This sauce can be used in a variety of ways. We ended up using it on a salad with Thai flavors, but you could serve it with rice and vegetables or in a lettuce wrap or really any other idea you can think of. It was very good. Here is the recipe:
https://pinchofyum.com/red-thai-curry-sauce
8) Black-Eyed Peas and Ham. Sometimes, I let the ingredients I happen to find at the grocery store give inspiration for what to cook. Sometimes, that goes well for me; sometimes, it doesn't--I'm looking at you nopales! I found some black-eyed peas, so I decided to make some black-eyed peas with ham. I tend to forget about ham because I don't like a lot of lunch meat and because it takes more of a focused effort to find ham here (since I'm almost never looking for it). This was my first time making black-eyes peas with ham, and it turned out really well. This is the recipe I used for reference: https://www.africanbites.com/black-eyed-peas-recipe/
I made mine with ham instead of bacon and sausage. I also added some minced green bell pepper. I did not have thyme, but I did add some bay leaf. I added cajun seasoning instead of creole seasoning though I think those are usually similar? I also subbed kale for collard greens since I've never seen collard greens here.
What I Watched:
This month was apparently the month for documentaries or lifestyle-type material. True confession--I was pretty consumed by Harry Potter and have also been watching Brooklyn 99 as television comfort food. But, these were the things that I watched whenever I had the bandwidth to actually pay attention.
1) Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich. This documentary had been on my list for a while. Given the state of the world, I wanted to be in the right frame of mind to watch it. It's not for the faint of heart given the nature of what many young girls suffered in terms of sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. What pushed me over the edge in wanting to educate myself was the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's ex-girlfriend and a woman accused of facilitation and participating in the sexual abuse of minors. If you're seeing her name in the headlines and don't know who she is, watch this documentary. It's actually had some criticism for not being as hard-hitting as it could be, but the evidence really seems to speak for itself. What astounded me was the permeation of corruption in so many facets of society. The US may feel like it's better than countries like Honduras that experience a lot of open corruption, but the truth is that many times the US is just better about hiding its corruption.
2) Down to Earth with Zac Efron. I wanted to like this series. It was kind of interesting to see Zac Efron outside of an acting role, and I do appreciate travel and learning what other countries are doing in the realm of sustainability. While the places themselves were very interesting, the hosts come off as tools or at the very least a bit problematic in some of the situations. I appreciated being able to see how Puerto Rico has been adjusting to life after such devastating hurricanes. I really liked learning about Peru's native ingredients, and I loved hearing the perspectives of the inhabitants of Sardinia who have lived extraordinarily long lives. But, sometimes it was hard to get past the air that the hosts had--are they white saviors? Are they frat boys looking for a good time? Are they deeply spiritual? Are they trying to make all the stories about them? I don't know, but some of it was cringeworthy, particularly the last episode.
3) Unsolved Mysteries. This series was recently re-booted on Netflix, and if you're into true crime or real life stories, this is an interesting watch. I do find myself missing the closure though, but "unsolved" is right there in the title. The episodes range from UFO sighting/extraterrestrial activity to disappearances. Most of the episodes focus on missing people or people who died with evidence of foul play but no solution to the case. It was honestly nice to watch interviews with people from lots of different backgrounds and to hear their stories.
4) Indian Matchmaking. This watch was purely a guilty pleasure. I'm not usually drawn to reality dating shows, but this one had the element of the Indian culture. Granted, this is just one look into one corner of Indian life and culture and is not definitive of the entirety of Indian culture, but it appealed to my emotions since it followed a set of people throughout the show who you start to care about. And, it also appealed to my interest in other cultures. It as fun to hear someone referring to the show Friends and deciding which friend she was most like. It was interesting to see complicated family dynamics, and it was fascinating to observe all the many different locations where they filmed. It's a show worth watching without judgment, but don't get too attached to the stories since they didn't necessarily play out as you would hope. I won't spoil it for you, but you can spoil it for yourself by googling what happened to the individuals in the show.
Playlist for the Month:
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLERDDFsw5e_pjHVYqzShhJmqQyiM1P0Hj
1) "The Story I'll Tell" - Maverick City Music (featuring Naomi Raine)
2) "Whatever Your Plan Is" - Josie Buchanan
3) "Never Going Back" - United Pursuit
4) "Heaven's Secrets" - Wilder
5) "Faith and Wonder/Tremble" - Upper Room
6) "Jérico" - Evan Craft
7) "My Weapon" - Natalie Grant
8) "You Redeem" - Aaron Shust
9) "Let Me Be Filled/Help Me to Love" - Brian and Jenn Johnson
10) "Rey de Justicia" - En Espíritu y En Verdad
11) "Breathe on Me" - Eddie James featuring Bryn Waddell
12) "Move (Out of the Way)" - Tasha Cobbs Leonard
13) "Let My People Go" - Matt Redman
14) "You're an Army" - Rick Pino
15) "Don't Tread on Me" - We The Kingdom
16) "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" - For King and Country
17) "Your Will Be Done" by CityAlight
18) "Take Me to the King" by Sarah Reeves
19) "Met by Love" - United Pursuit
20) "Canyons" - Cory Asbury
21) "Pieces" - Steffany Gretzinger
22) "Belovedness" - Sarah Kroger
23) "Come Tear Down the Walls/I Surrender All" - David and Nicole Binion
24) "My Heart Your Home" - Maverick City featuring Alton Eugene and Chandler Moore
25) "Have My Heart" - Maverick City featuring Chandler Moore and Chris Brown
My prayer for you this month is that you would also feel encouraged. I hope you feel encouraged to keep learning and developing into the person you're called to be regardless of the limitations of your circumstances. I pray we all would be proactive about learning more about ourselves and more about the experiences of others. I pray we would continue to still seek the fullness of life that isn't dependent on a geographic location or on a circumstance or even on the people we care about but rather in our real selves meeting a real God.
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