Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Musing


My favorite Christmas carol is “Oh Holy Night,” because it reminds me that the world is pining for the new creation and the stars are shining in anticipation.

I know some people don’t believe that there is anything beyond and in control of this universe, and that the stars are alight due to the nuclear reactions of atoms in their cores, not because they are worshipping the God who created and sustains them.  That’s okay.  I have no definitive scientific proof.  But I have decided through much study and thought that it is not unreasonable to accept Christianity as the truth that shapes the world.

N.T. Wright wrote “Surprised by Hope,” to revitalize the Church’s idea of heaven and the resurrection.  I just finished reading it, and it is so appropriate for Christmas, even though it’s more about Easter.

Most Christmas church services I’ve been to do a great job of recognizing Christ’s birth and glorifying Him.  Most services make sure to emphasize that Christ is the personal savior of our sins, a bringer of hope and joy.  The service I went to tonight was beautiful, heart-felt and no doubt Spirit-filled, but I felt this bone-deep empty feeling due to the absence of any mention of the resurrection and the reason to have hope and joy.

They don’t really mention that Heaven will come to Earth and all creation will be redeemed.  Evil will be purged from all space and time and matter.  We will be resurrected into new physical-spiritual bodies on a new earth, not just exist in some mystical heavenly space.  And Christ will rule over all, with us as his co-rulers.

It actually sounds kind of crazy and radical when you think about it, but that part of Jesus’ message was just as important as the individual forgiveness of sins part. 

I just think that when we talk of our hope and our reason for glorifying the birth of Christ, we should not fail to mention these things.  Especially when Christmas Eve services are often populated by once-a-year church attendees who may not fully understand the basic goodness and loveliness of genuine Christian doctrine.  These are my thoughts.




Monday, March 18, 2013

Update for last two weeks.


When I started my food journey, I didn’t really think about the difficulties that would come spending two weeks away from my normal routine to go home for spring break and go on an adventure in the Pacific Northwest.  I began to feel vaguely guilty because I couldn’t think of any way to maintain a $20 a week grocery goal under such conditions.  I talked to some friends and my mom and decided to just do my best to be food-conscious, to resist the urge to indulge every small pang of hunger, and to keep track of everything.  And, of course, I didn’t want to be cheap.

Being cheap would be letting my good friend Grace in Seattle supply all of my food while I stayed with her (as hard as I tried to avoid it, she still supplied most of it).  Being cheap would involve avoiding social events at the conference that would involve going out to eat, or making my lent resolution public so that people would give me leftovers.  I tried to avoid all these things.

Here’s how I did:

The travel day: I brought lots of snacks from home so I’d be set all day long.  Because of the time change, I arrived at my hotel in Portland around 6:00 at night and still felt like I had time to go to a nearby Safeway to get groceries for the week.
Total at the store: $16.00, spent on sandwich materials, microwavable soups and fresh fruit.

The conference in Portland: I ate my groceries, made the unlimited free coffee in my hotel room rather than buying the expensive kind downstairs, and did not feel appreciably more hungry than I normally am.  I did go out to eat once with colleagues.  Though I only got an entrĂ©e, it still cost me $12 with tip, so as you can see I was about $8 over my weekly goal.  I also went to the conference banquet, which I had paid for several months ago so I didn’t really count it.  But I did appreciate that the banquet had cost me $35.00.  The banquet and the other dinner seemed necessary to me, though, purely for the social aspect.  I enjoyed them and was okay with spending the money within reason.

Visiting Grace in Seattle: I resolved to be less thrifty around Grace.  She knew about my resolution but I tried to make it very clear to her that it was okay if we went out to eat and that I wouldn’t worry about my spending habits too much.  Before we left Portland, I got a $4.00 sandwich from a food cart and a $2.00 cup of coffee from Stumptown (and I will have to say it was one of the best coffees I’ve ever had – maybe just because I was comparing it to the hotel stuff).  We took the bus to Seattle and got home pretty late, so Grace just cooked up some chicken and frozen vegetables for our dinner and we went straight to bed.

I love Grace because she is so generous.  We went grocery shopping and she insisted on buying the food.  Then she cooked me delicious meals.  She also bought my dinner one night when we went out to eat.  For the most part, we didn’t go out to eat, but that isn’t to say we didn’t eat well.  We had plenty of portable snacks for our adventures and the anticipation of savory, hearty meals when we returned.  The only things I actually bought for direct consumption were: another couple cups of coffee ($3.00 total, and can you see what holds the keys to my heart?  Maybe that’s what I should give up next), a bowl of salmon chowder ($5.00-ish?  I paid with cash), and a ridiculously tiny, adorable fruit tart ($2.00).

But does it matter?  Sure, I met my goal for the week, but only because most of my food needs were supplied by someone else.  I guess that brings me to my main point:

My $20 a week grocery resolution has not taught me what it means to be hungry, like I originally intended.  Instead, it has allowed me to experience the generosity of my friends and family and get really good at doing math.

Huh.
Yes, I got hungry for sure.  My hunger was never terrible or debilitating though.  The biggest thing with living by the generosity of others is you don’t get to make the decisions about when, where and what to eat, which I did find very humbling and a little disconcerting.  But Grace always made sure I was well fed and I just had to trust her.

What if God treats me the same way, giving me what I need to be satisfied, not more or less?  Why do I have such a hard time appreciating that?  Why must I always be in control?

Only two more weeks to go.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Weekly Update #1


So, last week was not hard at all.  I had leftovers and 3 potluck dinners (which I did buy extra food to contribute to; I am trying my best not to be “cheap,” just frugal).  This week, though, I will only have one free dinner so it’s more of a challenge.  However, I was amazed at what I managed to buy at Kroger on Monday for a total of $20.27.

2 lb. ground turkey - $1.99 each
1 packet chili seasonings - $0.69
2 apples – $1.67
6 bananas – $0.87
1 lb. grapes - $2.01
2 bags frozen veggies - $1.00 each
1 can diced tomatoes - $0.67
½ gallon milk - $2.19
1 personal pizza (a Friday night treat!) - $1.34
1 can pasta sauce - $0.88
1 box whole grain noodles – $0.99
1 box granola bars (for breakfast) - $2.39

I’ll be using 1 lb. of the turkey to make chili (with all those beans I bought last week lol) and 1 lb. to make meatballs.

I am amazed because it seems like so much.  Safe, healthy food is so bountiful and cheap where I live.

This is not true for most places in the world.

I’ve been reading Kisses from Katie, the amazing story of a woman from Tennessee, about my age, who has become an adoptive mother of 13 girls in Uganda.  This book was highly recommended to me by a dear friend and fellow counselor from Camp Chestnut Ridge, and when I found out that another friend was reading it here in Athens, I asked to borrow it when she was finished.

Katie Davis inspires me, in the way she loves others and in the way she loves Jesus.  I don’t want my Lenten journey to just be for me: to just be about a feeling of solidarity and frugality.  I want to actually use my sacrifice (if you can call it that!) to help someone.  This week I’m going to donate the $20 I didn’t spend to her ministry, Amazima.  It’s not much, but in Uganda it can go far in feeding a hungry child.

Check out Katie's story!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Food for thought in the stable of thoughts.


I’m doing something a little different for lent this year.  I’m not giving up chocolate or candy or coke.  Yet I may find myself eating these things very rarely in the next couple months.

Why?  Because I’m giving up my $40 plus-a-week grocery bill and all the luxuries that it entails.  Cutting my food purchases down to $20 a week, I hope to develop an appreciation and thankfulness for the simple feeling of having a full belly.

See, I have been a slave to tasty food for as long as I can remember.  While it certainly isn’t a sin to enjoy food, I depend on it for my happiness waaaaaay too much.  And because the US of A has bountiful food options and I have been blessed with the resources to acquire them, I often take for granted the expensive groceries I buy and justify their purchase as necessary objects to “get me through the week.”

How can I live without them?

Maybe I will live with more awareness of hunger, more empathy towards the poor and needy, more enjoyment on the rare occasions when I experience flavorful food.
Maybe I will live with less gluttony, less inclination to mindlessly stuff my face with calories to escape my problems.

Time can only tell.  I have already done my shopping for this week, and the receipt holds the evidence.  This is an “easy” week.  I still have lots of food stockpiled from last week, including Valentine’s Day candy.  Pray for my sanity as a start this journey!  It will not be easy for a food-lover like me.

Shopping List Week 1
1 lb black beans
1 lb red beans
1 bunch of spinach
6 apples
1 bunch of bananas
2 lb whole grain rice
1 orange pepper
1 gallon milk