Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Oh how he loves us...
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He loves us,
oh how He loves us,
how He loves us,.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
oh how He loves us,
how He loves us.
(John Mark mcMillan)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Cookies for Chris
List #65 bake cookies for someone.
I love to bake. And even more so I love to bake for other people. Yesterday I whipped up a batch of amazingly chocolatety cookies for a new friend of mine.
I haven’t known Chris long, only a few months really and yet he has already had an incredible impact on my life.
Over the last few years and for various reasons I haven’t had very good experiences with boys...I’ve been left broken, confused and quite frankly completely unsure how to relate to the male species. And then suddenly this year, starting out at a new church, I’ve had the privilege of meeting not boys, but men. Honourable, righteous and courageous men. Guys who are genuine, who admit their imperfections, who chose their battles wisely, who listen to me and who look me in the eye.
Chris is one of them. He makes me laugh, he’s seen me cry, he’s dealt with my misplaced anger, he listens, and he speaks wisdom into my life. He’s teaching me guitar and he’s teaching me a new way; proving wrong all the ‘truths’ I’ve come to believe.
How good it is to finally meet the ‘good guys’, to have friends, to have brothers.
The prince of my childhood dreams might just be real, but to believe it I’ve first had to meet his brothers. And bake them cookies.
Choc chip cookies
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 slab milk chocolate- chopped
• 1 slap dark chocolate- chopped
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and then stir in the vanilla.
3.Stir dry ingredients into creamed butter and sugar. Add chocolate chips.
4.Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven
enjoy!!!
I love to bake. And even more so I love to bake for other people. Yesterday I whipped up a batch of amazingly chocolatety cookies for a new friend of mine.
I haven’t known Chris long, only a few months really and yet he has already had an incredible impact on my life.
Over the last few years and for various reasons I haven’t had very good experiences with boys...I’ve been left broken, confused and quite frankly completely unsure how to relate to the male species. And then suddenly this year, starting out at a new church, I’ve had the privilege of meeting not boys, but men. Honourable, righteous and courageous men. Guys who are genuine, who admit their imperfections, who chose their battles wisely, who listen to me and who look me in the eye.
Chris is one of them. He makes me laugh, he’s seen me cry, he’s dealt with my misplaced anger, he listens, and he speaks wisdom into my life. He’s teaching me guitar and he’s teaching me a new way; proving wrong all the ‘truths’ I’ve come to believe.
How good it is to finally meet the ‘good guys’, to have friends, to have brothers.
The prince of my childhood dreams might just be real, but to believe it I’ve first had to meet his brothers. And bake them cookies.
Choc chip cookies
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 slab milk chocolate- chopped
• 1 slap dark chocolate- chopped
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and then stir in the vanilla.
3.Stir dry ingredients into creamed butter and sugar. Add chocolate chips.
4.Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven
enjoy!!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Giraffes and Jesus...
I’ve been feeling a little...dispirited... lately, nothing I could place my finger on just a general heaviness that’s been weighing me down. So when my alarm went off at 5.30am last Tuesday all I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head and hide from the world. Though something told me to ‘get up’, somehow I felt that something would happen that day. Without much enthusiasm I rolled out of bed and began to trudge through the day, I arrived at varsity and immediately regretted waking up: my lectures were a waste of time; I was tired and was becoming quickly frustrated at everything and everyone around me, so much for ‘something happening’ huh?
On the drive home as I turned over in my head my horrible day I was suddenly taken by surprise. There, in the middle of Pretoria, just over the fence at the side of the road, was a giraffe. No kidding.
Now if you had of said to me “what do you think might happen today?” the very last thing I would have replied is “maybe I’ll see a giraffe”. It seems a small thing (though giraffes are really quite big...) but in that moment I was able to have a laugh to myself, to appreciate beauty and to remember that God is in control. I was reminded of this verse:
“Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told” Habakkuk 1:5
You could have told me I was going to see a giraffe. I wouldn’t have believed you. Likewise God is going to do something in our lives, in our nation that will amaze us, which we would never believe, even if we were told.
Cool story, huh? Would you believe that that’s not even the end...?
Fast forward a week and I’m still feeling wracked with worry and concerns, my job is unstable, my finances unsure and issues I thought I was dealing with continue to rear their ugly heads. Frustrated and angry I began to fight with God in the car on the way to varsity. I was yelling and crying and generally making everyone else on the road think I was a crazy person. Eventually I called out to God “if you are really in this situation, if you are really looking after me I want a sign!” and in a juvenile, irritated moment I added “how about another giraffe hey God?!”. I didn’t see anything.
Until about 750m later, when behold, there was not one but TWO giraffes on the side of the road.
Oh how God loves me, oh yes how he loves me. That he, the God of the universe would take the time to humour my childish little requests. That he would command his creation to calm my ever-doubting heart.
Sometimes I just need to be encouraged that God is there, looking out for me.
And sometimes, he drops a giraffe (or two) in my path.
Wow.
God is good.
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7
On the drive home as I turned over in my head my horrible day I was suddenly taken by surprise. There, in the middle of Pretoria, just over the fence at the side of the road, was a giraffe. No kidding.
Now if you had of said to me “what do you think might happen today?” the very last thing I would have replied is “maybe I’ll see a giraffe”. It seems a small thing (though giraffes are really quite big...) but in that moment I was able to have a laugh to myself, to appreciate beauty and to remember that God is in control. I was reminded of this verse:
“Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told” Habakkuk 1:5
You could have told me I was going to see a giraffe. I wouldn’t have believed you. Likewise God is going to do something in our lives, in our nation that will amaze us, which we would never believe, even if we were told.
Cool story, huh? Would you believe that that’s not even the end...?
Fast forward a week and I’m still feeling wracked with worry and concerns, my job is unstable, my finances unsure and issues I thought I was dealing with continue to rear their ugly heads. Frustrated and angry I began to fight with God in the car on the way to varsity. I was yelling and crying and generally making everyone else on the road think I was a crazy person. Eventually I called out to God “if you are really in this situation, if you are really looking after me I want a sign!” and in a juvenile, irritated moment I added “how about another giraffe hey God?!”. I didn’t see anything.
Until about 750m later, when behold, there was not one but TWO giraffes on the side of the road.
Oh how God loves me, oh yes how he loves me. That he, the God of the universe would take the time to humour my childish little requests. That he would command his creation to calm my ever-doubting heart.
Sometimes I just need to be encouraged that God is there, looking out for me.
And sometimes, he drops a giraffe (or two) in my path.
Wow.
God is good.
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7
Saturday, February 6, 2010
It was a beautiful day!
My birthday weekend seemed to fly by at a rapid speed, filled with sorting, packing, random shopping and everything else that goes with moving into a new place. By the time it got to Sunday (My BIRTHDAY) I was exhausted in every possible way. The last few weeks had been hard and my soul was tired. Yet I woke up, put on my smile and my tiara (check list #59)and awaited what the day would hold.
Mid-morning found me sitting in lounge awiating the surprise I was informed would be happening. And boy was it a surprise...next thing I knew in walked Pookie, her husband and her two little sisters! I actually did a double take! So my afternoon was spent with my family and my bestie at my favourite place: THE ZOO! (check list #22). I love the zoo more than I think it is healthy for any 21 year old to love the zoo! So it was alligators all the way to zebras, golf cart riding and greasy lunches, photos, laughing&talking, snow cones and ice cream and all the simplest pleasures that memories are made of!
What a day! I crawled into bed that night tired and sunburnt with aching feet, but my soul was flying. It needed the joy, the pure, simple reminder of the beauty of life.
Mid-morning found me sitting in lounge awiating the surprise I was informed would be happening. And boy was it a surprise...next thing I knew in walked Pookie, her husband and her two little sisters! I actually did a double take! So my afternoon was spent with my family and my bestie at my favourite place: THE ZOO! (check list #22). I love the zoo more than I think it is healthy for any 21 year old to love the zoo! So it was alligators all the way to zebras, golf cart riding and greasy lunches, photos, laughing&talking, snow cones and ice cream and all the simplest pleasures that memories are made of!
What a day! I crawled into bed that night tired and sunburnt with aching feet, but my soul was flying. It needed the joy, the pure, simple reminder of the beauty of life.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Remind me I'm alive
My best friend, Pookie, taught me to love the rain.
I never paid much attention to it until she pointed out how beautiful it really is, how it reminds us we're alive.
My favorite time is when the dark clouds roll in, when it's a moment away from raining and there's a certain energy in the air, you can breathe it deeply and fully.
It smells like redemption.
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