Monday, April 26, 2010

today was my day off


..and this is what i did! well, partially. i didn't get a chance to take a picture with bob.. poor man, i don't think he's a fan of chicken fried rice >_< if you come by within the next three days, i might have muffins left for you = ] otherwise....

blueberry cornmeal muffins

ingredients
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 3 cups fresh blueberries
preparation
  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour and next 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and honey in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl until creamy. With mixer running on medium speed, gradually add egg mixture; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture just to blend. Add ricotta and yogurt; beat on low speed just to blend. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Scatter 1 1/2 cups blueberries over. Spoon remaining batter over in dollops, then spread to cover blueberries. Scatter remaining blueberries over. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over.
  • Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.
from huckleberry bakery & cafe in santa monica
(..wherever that is ^_< )


while i was making my muffins i was listening to how to respond when bad things happen on my ipod. (yes! i found it!!!) oh man.. didn't get a chance to write all the good stuff down as my fingers were perpetually coated with egg whites and batter.. but he talks about haiti and giving out of love and equality and how maybe i need to be a more productive fig tree..

on a separate topic, what do you think about monetary donations to relief organizations and child sponsership?

god's sovereignty despite our waywardness

interesante....


Samson's Spectacular Sin
David Mathis 4/22/2010

In the book Spectacular Sins, John Piper writes about how God uses even (and especially) his people's most tragic sins to work his global purposes for the glory of his Son, and for his people's good. Judges 14 picks up on the tune.

There Samson bids his parents secure him a wife, a particular Philistine woman who has caught his eye. And, as you probably know, in ancient Israel, the Philistines are usually the bad guys. This marriage would be worse than Montagues and Capulets.

His parents, good Israelites, push back—but not as strongly as we might expect. Their response is surprising restrained: "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go and take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?"

But Samson has made up his sinful mind. "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes." (Judges 14:13).

Yikes. "Right in my eyes" is not a phrase to let pass your lips, especially when someone might record it for Scripture. Exhibit A is Eve, who listened to the serpent, and then saw that the off-limits tree "was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desired to make one wise" (Genesis 3:6). Absalom shows a similar kind of decisional rebellion and self-reliance, over against God-reliance, in 2 Samuel 17:4. In strategizing against his father David, he hears Ahithophel's advice, and the text says, "the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel."

And, back to Samson, his brash self-reliance sets off a refrain in the latter part of the book of Judges. After 14:3, Samson's phrase is echoed in 17:6, and then the last line of the book sums up the whole mess: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).

It is a serious mistake for Samson to take a wife from among the unbelieving Philistines, but God hasn't lost control. The very next verse (14:4) gives us God's shocking sovereignty over sin:


[Samson's] father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.



And so that we don't miss it, verse 7 tells us again that "she was right in Samson's eyes." Samson is a rebellious sinner, his parents are poor guides, and all the while God is on his throne, bringing to pass his great purposes for the salvation of his chosen people, even (and especially) in their spectacular sins. Even in his downward spiral of sin, it would be "the Spirit of the LORD" who would rush upon Samson to bring about God's victory for his people over the Philistines (14:6, 19; 15:14).

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

please press pause.

i have an idea...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dahhh currently my work schedule is packed, required readings for this quarter's class are endless, bob still needs to be fed every now and then.. most days out of the week, i'm grateful to reach my 6 - 7 hour sleep quota but more often than not, i just feel like i suffer from chronic sleepiness. BUT, thanks to a combination of free starbucks coffee at work and my own coffee grinder at home, my caffeine needs never go unattended. remember playing sardines when you were little? that's kind of how my schedule feels >_<

despite everything, i couldn't be happier = ]



Tuesday, April 13, 2010

dum de dummm

i think there's something different that happens inside when i decide to start each day acknowledging that god has a hold on my heart.
everything changes.


~~~~~~~~~~~~

God Provides Direction, Resources, and Ability
John Bloom

In Exodus chapters 26-30, God gave Moses very detailed instructions about how to make the tabernacle, its furnishings, the priests' garments, and all the instruments used in worship. And then in chapter 31, God tells Moses (much to Moses' great relief, I imagine),

See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you. (Exodus 31:2-6)

Then in Exodus 35 God commands anyone "of a generous heart" (v. 5) to contribute to the needs of constructing all these things. And the people were so stirred that they had to be "restrained" from continuing to give (Exodus 36:6).

Here's the encouragement: when God calls us to do something, he provides all the necessary direction, ability, and resources to accomplish it.



sumsing to sink about,yeah? :D

Sunday, April 11, 2010

crap. another girl moment.


so much i want to say..
so much i wish i could do..
so much i wish i could be..

..dunno how

Saturday, April 10, 2010

there's a hunger for more and more..



do you ever start reading something - a book, a blog post, newspaper article.. and before you know it, you're cOmpletely blown out of your pants because of how hard it hits you at the very core of your being?! most days i feel like i just can't sit still.

the thing that keeps running through my mind as i read is this: if we call ourselves christians and we truly believe the bible to be true and the life of jesus to be the life we live to reflect, how should things be different?? i can't say that i'm completely there but i'm learning sO much.. and it's exciting and crazy and slightly unsettling (read mark 13) and super amazing. most of the time i'm not sure how to process all this or even what to think so i just start scribbling stuff down in my journal.. but i continue to pray that god moves me. not just within in me, but to let it cause a ripple effect around me. how humbling it is to experience the power of christ and yet to allow that strength to empower us to move in his kingdom for his glory. ahh freaking amazing.