Book Review: Ragamuffin Gospel & Rede

For my mentorship group, we just finished reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It actually took me reading the book 2 times to like it and to understand it. I am generally a pretty good, fast reader. However, with the way I read and Brennan writes I had a hard time following the first time (but everyone else in the group didn't have this trouble). The second time around I had caught onto his writing style and was able to get a lot more out of the book.

Here are some of the points that I pulled out and have really meditated over:

• You are accepted. Never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted. Trust in the God who loves consistently and faithfully nurtures confidence, free disciples. A loving God fosters a loving people. "The fact that our view of God shapes our lives to a great extent may be one of the reasons Scripture ascribes such importance to seeking to know him." (Peter Van Breemen, Certain As the Dawn)
• Her spiritual poverty enables her to enter the world of the other even when she cannot identify with that world. The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners.
• The gospel of grace calls out: Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. You must be convinced of this, trust it, and never forget to remember. Everything else will pass away, but the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Faith will become vision, hope will become possession, but the love of Jesus Christ that is stronger than death endures forever. In the end, it is the one thing you can hang onto.
• The dichotomy between what we say and what we do is so pervasive in the church and in society that we actually come to believe our illusions and rationalizations and clutch them to our hearts like favorite teddy bears.
• The alternative to confronting the truth is always some form of self-destruction. In order to free the captive, one must name the captivity.
• Freedom in Christ produces a health independence from peer pressure, people-pleasing, and the bondage of human respect.
• Perhaps the simplest, though certainly not the easiest place to start, is with myself. Carl Jung, the great psychiatrist, once reflected that we are all familiar with the words of Jesus, "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me." Then Jung asks a probing question: "What if you discovered that the least of the brethren of Jesus, the one who needs your love the most, the one you can help the most by loving, the one to whom your love will be most meaningful - what if you discovered that this least of the brethren of Jesus... is you?"
• Perhaps we are all in the position of the man in Morton Kelsey's story who came to the edge of an abyss. As he stood there wondering what to do next, he was amazed to discover a tightrope stretched across the abyss. And slowly, surely, across the rope came an acrobat pushing before him a wheelbarrow with another performer in it. When they finally reached the safety of solid ground, the acrobat smiled at the man's amazement. "Don't you think I can do it again?" he asked. And the man replied, "Why yes, I certainly believe you can." The acrobat put his question again, and when the answer was the same, he pointed to the wheelbarrow and said, "Good! Then get in and I will take you across." - This is just the question we have to ask ourselves about Jesus Christ.
• The fallacy in Peter's mind was this: he believed his relationship was dependent on his consistency in producing the qualities he thought had earned him the Lord's approval.
• The mature Christians I have met along the way are those who have failed and have learned to live gracefully with their failure. Faithfulness requires the courage to risk everything on Jesus, the willingness to keep growing, and the readiness to risk failure throughout our lives.

Although I wrote out a lot, there is a lot more in the book! I would totally recommend reading it.

While I'm on the subject of books you need to read... if you haven't already done so, read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers!!!! I couldn't put it down... I read a 500 page book in a weekend... you will love, love, love it!!! She does an amazing job of story telling. I will be reading The Mark of the Lion series soon.

Strawberries & Steamed Greens

I had a ton of fun this past week but it was jam packed so I am exhausted today and sitting on my couch watching 'Baby Mama' on HBO while drinking ice coffee. What a great A.M!!!!

Week in review... on Monday was small group, I know, it's normally on Wednesday but we changed it for this week. As always, I loved it!!! On Tuesday my friend Kelli came over and we cooked and then ate on the roof. It was great being able to chat and get to know each other better. I am loving having some great girlfriends. And speaking of which, I went to Lynnette's house on Wednesday and she made dinner and we watched a movie. I also got to meet her new puppy Cooley... which has the biggest paws of any puppy I have ever seen!! That sweet little puppy is going to be huge!! Thursday night I had my first CAMBODIA MISSION TRIP meeting!!! I am super stoked to be going in December!! Yesterday I was very busy... and it was my day off! I had a lot of errands to run and that took a good majority of the day. At night I went with Teesha to the Horizon Theater to watch a play. It was sooooo fun!!

So, I bet you are wondering what Kelli and I made for dinner. Well, I had veggie burgers in the freezer so we had that with corn on the cob, steamed greens and grilled strawberries & banana. The steamed greens were amazing and the grilled strawberries and banana was eeeh, ok, but would have been amazing had we been eating waffles! Seriously, I so will have to do them again when I made waffles, pancakes, or those little personal pies that you make when you are camping. You know, the ones that you make over the fire.

Anyway, here are the recipes in case you want to make them yourself!

Steamed Greens with Caramelized Leeks

1 Tbs. olive oil
2 large leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (11/2 cups)
1 bunch any dark, hardy green (12 oz.), tough veins removed, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tomato, largely diced

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, and saute 5 minutes, or until soft. Reduce heat to low; add Swiss chard and garlic. Cover pan with aluminum foil, and steam greens 7 to 9 minutes, or until wilted and tender. Once the greens are almost done, turn the oven off and add the tomato. Leave the aluminum foil on the pan and let the tomatoes steam for a few minutes.


Grilled Strawberries and Bananas

2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch salt
Pinch cinnamon
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
1 banana, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds

Heat a grill pan to medium. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, canola oil, salt and cinnamon. Add the strawberries and bananas, then toss gently to coat. Reserve any of the glaze remaining in the bowl. Oil the grill pan. Grill the fruit for 2 to 3 minutes until there are light grill marks. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the skewered fruit with any remaining glaze, then turn and grill, covered, for another 2 to 3 minutes. Put all the fruit back into the original bowl. If you let it sit for a few minutes the glaze will thicken up. Very yummy!!

Check it out... Straight from Buckhead Church!!

North Point Online Promo from John on Vimeo.

Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Almonds

Here is the recipe for the delicious dinner I made last night. It was amazing!! I used tempeh because I have it on hand but you could use any meat or even tofu. I used too much red pepper flake so I would suggest keeping it kinda subdued. But, do as you please :) Also, this is a recipe that I have made a few times before however it constantly changes to accommodate what I have on hand!

2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
1 red skin potato, diced
1/4 sweet onion, diced
1 package tempeh, diced
1/4 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1⁄2 bunches (about 12 ounces) kale, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, or a combination, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄3 cup raisins
1⁄4 cup almonds, toasted

Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan. Add the red skin potato and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flake and cook for 1 minute. Add the greens, handfuls at a time, stirring until they’re all in the pot. Add the stock, salt, and the raisins. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes, or 15 to 20minutes for collard greens.

In another small pan toast the almonds over medium heat until done. When the greens are done plate them and sprinkle on the almonds and enjoy!!

Starfish, Fox, and a Symphony

Friday night was ladies night for my friends Heather, Christina, Amy and me!! We had a blast!!

Our night started with dinner at Starfish, a sushi restaurant down the street from my house. We got a few different kinds of rolls and split them between everyone. It was a fun way to chat, eat, and taste different options. To fun!
After dinner we made our way over to the Fox Theater to watch Jersey Boys!!




We actually arrive late so we didn't have to wait in any line. However, missing the first bit wasn't great. I had no clue that it was the story of the Four Seasons (I don't know why I didn't know) however Amy clued me in before we got there. Good thing or I would have been royally confused!!! LOL!!!! I loved the musical!! We had a blast watching it!! I would recommend it to anyone.

Of course any ladies night wouldn't be complete without a good cocktail so we walked to Bazzaar for a quick drink and conversation. We had a blast people watching and updating each other on the latest in our lives.

Saturday was a really, really fun day!! I spent the morning at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. I have always wanted to go to the market but had been trying to clean out my pantry. I finally have it fairly well cleaned down so I figured why not. I love the idea of locally grown organic foods!! I was able to purchase a squash, some green beans, and a few different heads of dark greens. I made up some dinner yesterday from what I got... and yummy!!! I'm going to try to do this more often on Saturdays. There wasn't as many vendors as I would have liked however it was a close walk. I have another option of trying the Morningside Market however I would have to drive there. If I do make it there I'll let you know what I think.

In the afternoon I hung out with VJ and John at John's pool. Always fun to hang out by the pool! On my way home I stopped by Erinleigh's house to pick up her dog Darcy. I am watching Darcy until tomorrow A.M. She is fun however she is a night walker and the tags on her collar jingle when she does. So, I was woken up abruptly a few times last night. Tonight I am going to have to take her collar off before going to bed!! Otherwise I really enjoy watching my friends dogs!! Always a fun time!! :)

Then at night VJ and I went to the opening night of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. It was beautiful music, amazing choir, beautiful location. It was also outside in 90+degree extremely humid environment!! Even I was a bit miserable because of the heat, and if you know me you know that is *almost* impossible!! However we did have a blast and it was worth sitting in the heat to hear.

Gone Country?!?!?!

I have to admit, I was excited to visit Dan and Doc, however I didn't think I would like the weather or the 'rough living' lifestyle. However I LOVED it!! The entire trip was great!!! I couldn't have asked for a better time... thanks so much Dan, Nate & Doc for such a wonderful time at Outwest Guides!!!

Dan and Nate at The Cook Shack

Dan and Me Horseback

Doc and his spunky personality!!

I arrived Wednesday morning and actually was early... can you believe it!?!?! We landed before 9am, and my arrival time was scheduled for 9:15am!! I was super excited as I arrived in the *huge* Aspen airport and went to baggage claim to meet up with Dan however he was nowhere to be seen. Ok, I thought, I'll get ready... so I went to the bathroom and came back out. Still no Dan. I walked to the cafe, the store and back to the baggage claim (those are the only places available for Dan to wait inside) but he wasn't there. I called his phone but it went straight to voicemail so I left a message. I walked around some more and found a magazine about Aspen. I took a picture inside the airport. I sat and played solitaire on my phone. Still no sign of my brother. Weird...

I left a few more messages on his phone before he finally picked up. He was on his way and thought that I was supposed to land after 10am. Oops! Miss communication. I walked outside and realized I needed more cloths on. Since I had some time I went back into the restroom and put on my long underwear (I kept calling them my underpants to Dan & Nate which made them laugh). I sat back down and started reading the Aspen magazine. Quite interesting I have to say!

Around 10am Dan did make it to pick me up and we went to a Round-Up that the local outfitters were having. It was the first time they had gotten together like this and it was to build comradely between the outfitters. Apparently outfitters can get quite nasty if they aren't friends so they are trying to build rapport with each other. And, I was able to watch how they each take care of their horses, how the saddle up, how they pack the mules as well as hear a bunch of cowboy/outfitter stories!!

Once we had lunch we all packed up and headed out. Dan, Nate and I went to town to do some grocery shopping and to pick up a few things needed back at the ranch. Once home to Nate's cabin we sat a minute and then went to let the horses out. Finally we ate dinner... I was famished!! It was the best fajitas that I have ever had :)

After dinner Dan and I went to his cabin... which is AWESOME!! It is the coolest place I have seen. It was built in the 1800's by a sheep herding family. It is all propane (no electricity up there), has a bathroom, small kitchen, living room with a couch and wood burning stove, and an upstairs loft with 2 beds. It's very rustic and absolutely cool! Well, cool and it was cold so Dan did a very, very good job of keeping the fire going so I would stay warm all night... what brotherly love!!

Side note, even Nate's cabin has no electricity. They do all heat by wood burning stove however Nate's place has solar power and a back up generator so he has a computer, TV & radio.

Wednesday night Dan and I chatted while drinking beers by the fire. Can you believe it... I had a beer... well 1/2 a can. I drank the second 1/2 the next night... haha!!

Rise and shine sleepy head! We woke up at 6:30am... ugh early!! Much earlier than I wake up at home. But there is work to be done. Dan made some coffee while I got dressed. After drinking our cup we drove to the horses. The weather was awful Thursday morning... rainy and c-c-cold!! Dan rounded the horses and then we made it to Nate's for breakfast. Dan and Nate had cereal and I had left-over fajitas!! No milk for me!!

Dan was supposed to take out a ride in the A.M. however with the weather so bad they moved the ride to the next day. Instead, Dan went out and pounded fence posts while Nate and I stayed in and worked on the website and fliers I have been putting together. After getting that together Dan came in for lunch and then back out to work. Nate and I drove down to the mailbox (which is at the bottom of the mountain). On the way back up we picked up Dan and we headed in to watch a movie. Nate decided that with this kinda weather work was done for the day.

Of course, as soon as we headed in the sun came out. It was still pretty chilly but it was nice to see sun. We watched the movie, changed and went to town for dinner and a rodeo. It was my first rodeo, but Nate says it doesn't count. I did, however, get to wear a real cowboy hat!! Fun stuff!! We ate dinner at the only fast food joint that is in Carbondale... subway. I haven't ate there in forever but it was really good. The rodeo had a few people bull riding (like 7) and Nate thought they were all horrible. Most the rest of the 3 hours was spent watching kid events. It was hilarious!!

Friday was BEAUTIFUL!! Couldn't ask for a better day so Dan and I walked to the horses so he could round them up and then we headed to Nate's place for breakfast. After breakfast I watched Dan get the 3 horses ready so we could go for our ride. I didn't realize how much work went into saddling up the horse. Once he was done we headed into Marble to pick up the rider then the 3 of us went on a 2 hour ride up and back down the mountain. It was beautiful and I took a ton of pictures (don't want Mom to be mad and she totally would be if I missed any photo opportunity)!

After our ride I made Dan and me lunch. Nate had been out shoeing horses and had already had his lunch. I made grilled egg and ham sandwiches. I haven't had that combo before but I have to say it was really good!! Love cowboy food!! After lunch Dan went back to work while I cleaned up. When I went back out Nate and Dan were working on two horses. They had to trim the hoofs and then work on taming them. It was fun to watch Dan and Nate work in the Round Pen. Dan is just learning how to tame horses and Nate has been doing it since he was 10 so he mostly watched and gave instruction to Dan. When needed Nate would step in and show Dan what he needed to learn. I took a ton of pictures and you will absolutely love them all!

Then it was time for dinner. There is one restaurant in the town of Marble called The Cook Shack, a BBQ joint, and its only open Thursday thru Sunday. Luckily it was Friday so we were able to eat there! Dan and Nate saddled the horses (I helped by brushing them) and we rode down to dinner. I had yummy pulled pork, coleslaw, and corn with jalapeno corn bread. Dan and Nate had their burger... all great!! Dan and I finished the night with a piece of chocolate cake!! Yumm-O!!

By the time we made it back up to the ranch it was dark! Dan and I had a quick beer by the fire and then went to bed! We were exhausted but back up by 6:30am to get ready, round up the horses, and go to Nate's for breakfast. Once done, Dan and I went to saddle the horses... once again I brushed them. This time we were going with Ken's son and niece. Ken is the owner of the ranch and his family spends time up there in the summer. We were going out to show the niece how Dan and Nate horseback ride so she can do a few rides and work for them for a month as well as take me on my last ride of the trip.

It was beautiful again... it could make a city girl turn country in an instant! Once again I took many pictures and enjoyed being horse-back. After a few hours we headed back home so I could clean up, pack and have a quick lunch before heading to the airport. My flight was scheduled for 4:30pm.

We made it down and into Aspen with a few minutes to spare so Dan and Nate drove me thru the town so I could see it and then into the airport. After our good-bye's I went thru security and waited for my plane. At 4pm they loaded us in, gave us the speech, and took us down the runway. Then the pilot came on speaker to announce that the Denver airport was shut down. We waited on the plane for 3o minutes then he came back on again to say it would be at least another hour so the drove us back to the terminal and we waited in there. At 6:30pm they said that it would be at least another hour before they would know more and my flight to ATL from DEN was at 7pm. Since I would miss the connection and the only open fight from DEN was at 7pm Sunday I decided to change my flight to Sunday from Aspen at 1:30pm.

I tried and tried to get in touch with Nate and Dan but in the mountains that can be difficult. I knew they were doing laundry so I called the only laundrymat in Carbondale but the lady said they had just left. I left a few messages on the house phone and Nate's cell but the cell was out of service and they had a few stops they took before going home so they didn't get back until after I decided to get a hotel in Aspen. Even if they had come got me after they got home it would have been at least 11pm before we would have made it home and then Dan would have had to take another 1/2 day to get me back. Mom suggested (since I was about in tears from exhaustion she actually more decided) that I get a hotel. I stayed at the the Inns at Aspen which had a shuttle and was the cheapest available. Luckily it was only about 1 mile from the airport (or less) so I was quickly there. I found out they had a hot tub so I found my room, threw on my swim suit, and went straight for the tub. It was great!! Very relaxing. After my quick dip I went back to my room and went right to sleep.

The next morning I went to their free breakfast which was amazing. I made waffles with strawberries, grapes, an egg, and tons of coffee while reading a newspaper. I don't know if I have ever really read a newspaper before! Ha!

After breakfast I packed up and took the shuttle into Aspen. I spent about an hour walking around... most shops were closed since it was Sunday morning but I enjoyed it and once again took a lot of pictures. With the number that I took, I think I made Mom proud!

At 12:30 I was back in the Aspen airport, this time the plane took off and I was able to sit next to a man named Chris who I had a great conversation with. Once we landed I waited to pick up my bag that I had curb checked (wouldn't fit in the overhead bin). We were outside since the plane was so little but it started to lightning around the airport so they moved everyone inside and we had to wait to get our baggage until after the lightning passed. I was in Denver at 2pm and had until 7pm for the next flight. I walked the airport, found where the 2nd leg of my journey was to depart from, looked around a few shops, found where I wanted to eat dinner, and then found a quiet spot to do some work reading. After reading I pulled out my laptop to take notes and found that there is free wifi in the Denver airport. So at 5pm I grabbed some dinner, found a table, pulled the laptop back out and checked emails and did some work. I also spent time uploading pictures and chatting with a few people in the airport. One man I chatted with was going to Detroit to look into purchasing an old Ford plant (for work, of course) to tear it down and build something else. Interesting stuff!

My flight to Atlanta, of course, was delayed but we made it out at 8:30pm Denver time and landed in Atlanta after 1:30pm EST. Ouch! Then we found out that they turn the Atlanta airport trams off at midnight so we would be walking from D terminal to baggage claim. And the bag that I curb checked would have to be picked up there. So we all walked the 6 hubs to baggage claim and the bags hadn't even started flowing yet! It felt like the trip home that would never end! But, finally the bags did make it, I grabbed mine, and the Marcus was kind enough to take me home at 2am! I walked thru my door at 2:30am and made it to bed around 3am.

Luckily the trip was worth the delays! I couldn't have had more fun in Marble, CO and I look forward to the next time I am lucky enough to spend time there!! It was a blast!!

Getting ready!!!

Today is a mixed emotions kinda day. This morning was Sean's funeral and I spent the time in tears. Don't get me wrong, the funeral was amazing, the speakers did a phenomenal job, the music was great, and we were there to celebrate Sean's life which rocked! Also, Gabi and Jana looked amazing!! However it was personally tough on me. I know I will miss him as a mentor and friend. And driving to work this morning knowing that just brought tears to my eyes.

I also am sitting her wondering if my second offer on a condo has been accepted. The first offer fell thru, which I expected, so I put an offer on another place in the same complex. These are the only two places in this complex on the market right now so if this falls thru I will wait/search for other places. Which is fine, but I should know today if the homeowner accepted my offer then it will go to the bank (it's a short sale). I know God has been working on patience in my life (this will be constant) but here I think I am doing fairly well. I know that where ever I end up will be of God's choosing. That he has a plan for my life and that my timing and his timing don't normally line up (my timing always being much sooner than God's).

And finally I am thinking about seeing my brother in COLORADO!!!


I leave on Wednesday and will be taking a TOOOOOON of pictures!! I can't wait to see Dan and Doc!!! I have been talking to Dan and Nate (his manager/friend) over the past few days. Then yesterday they send me an email detailing the weather...

Wednesday...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers in the morning...then a chance of rain showers...thunderstorms and snow showers in the afternoon. Highs 45 to 55. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Wednesday Night Through Thursday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the 30s. Highs in the 50s.

Friday Through Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 55 to 65. Lows in the 30s.

Ouch. Burr. Holy crap! I don't know what I think of this. I am leaving sunny, 90's weather for this. It doesn't deter my enthusiasm to see Dan (or Doc), but it makes me re-think my packing strategy.

Sean Strickland

Here is an honesty post. I have been fighting with God. I know I will never win, but there are times that I just want to wrestle with him and right now is just one of those times. My head hurts, to the point of a headache. I feel like crying and have teared up more than once in the last hour and have cried hard a few times over the weekend. I don't want time to think so I have been doing as much as possible to keep myself and my mind occupied.

Why all of this? Well, my former manager and friend Sean died suddenly in a car accident last Wednesday. His funeral is tomorrow. He is leaving behind a wife and a 7 year old daughter who I have gotten to know and love. The family had an amazing outlook of what life would look like in the near future. All of that is gone. My heart broke. Why would God have had him go thru all he just went thru and then take his life away?? I know he is in a better place, but his family is not. They are hurting. I started to think of all the things I have been able to do with my Dad from the age of 7 to now and I break down. I can't imagine what that is like. There are times I feel numb, like this can't be real. Every time I start up my car I think, will I make it to my destination?? What was he doing when it happened? What had he been thinking about, he was so close to home. And what keeps going thru my head is why? What is the meaning of all of this?? Why does God even have us here on this planet? Why did He even make us, from the beginning? What is the point?

These are the thoughts that I have taken to bed every night. I have taken to prayer every day. On Wednesday night I was so mad I didn't want to pray, I didn't want to read my Bible, I wanted to rebel and be as far away from God as possible. I was overwhelmed. How can I be mad at God when he exactly where I want to run to for comfort? And after I calmed down (a few hours later) I did go to Him and talked, yelled, and cried.

The following nights my Bible study led me into Ecclesiastes where Solomon is asking the same questions. Solomon goes thru a lot of what he find as meaningless. But then he goes into what is meaningful. And since I have read this verse on Friday, I have been meditating on it. It has been giving me peace.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 - Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

We have PICTURES!!!

Oh yea, NYC pictures are up online!!! Check them out here!!!
Or, if you want to see Aunt Dawn's go here!!!