lies

So I’ve been quiet lately. Couple of reasons for that. The first is that school started 2 weeks ago. We had to soak up every minute of fun we could, and get geared up for school, and there’s just no time for writing when that’s happening. The second is that I have some things swirling around in my brain that are just so…BIG…and…confounding…that I just don’t quite know how to give them words on paper. Spoken words, I can do that just fine, because other people help me process… But written down. Well, humph.

So I’m just gonna start writing.

There’s a war on. One that I hardly ever think about. It’s the one that the Bible talks about when it talks about the enemy of our souls as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” And for sure, he’s seeking to devour me, and you… But it hit me hard this summer that he’s seeking to devour my kids, too…

So I’m specifically thinking about my girls here.

Because there are lies that are so interwoven into the fabric of our culture, that I’m not even sure he has to seek anymore to devour the girls who grow up in it. I think the lies just completely eat them alive.

Lies like,

You’re only as good as you look

Your #1 goal is to be sexy

Fat is gross

Different is bad

You’re only worth something if you have a boyfriend

You’ve gotta have the latest & greatest or you suck

And so on (I bet you could add a few to this list, huh?)….

And I’m overwhelmed at the thought that as parents who want to raise girls who absolutely LOVE the Lord, heart, mind, soul, strength, we have to prepare them to FIGHT the current of culture that is coming at them like water from a fire hose. And we have to prepare them to not just walk against it, but to STAND TALL as they walk. To wear the badge of Christ proudly.

So, Chris and I are making some changes around here. I’ll write more about that later. I can tell you the TV is getting moved to our bedroom. The lies that thing tells makes me want to weep. But that’s for another day…

Father, all I can do is beg for wisdom. I don’t want to see the pumpkins chewed up and spit out like so many precious kids are in our culture…I don’t want them to know the pain my heart felt so often, feels still, because I chose, and still choose, to believe the lies that this culture, this world, tells me, instead of believing the absolute truth of Your Word. Mercy, Father, mercy…

cooking

I am determined to not think of Mondays anymore as “ugh…Monday,” but rather as “Central Market Day!” It puts an entirely new spin on the day to think of it that way, as Central Market is the only grocery store I go to that makes me genuinely happy. Giddy, even. If you've never been, I'd love to encourage you to take a field trip soon. Just to look at the produce, if for no other reason.

I love to cook. I don’t always cook. Sometimes I quickly throw a meal together, when life is chaotic, or I just am too tired to be creative, but when I have time and energy…I really enjoy cooking tasty food for the people I love. I’ve found, though, that the key to cooking tasty food is having great recipes. So I feel like I’m on a quest – always searching for great recipes, and when I find one that sticks, I’m a happy camper.

Cooks Illustrated is a treasure-trove of great recipes. If I’m ever still enough to catch their show on PBS on Saturdays, it’s a treat. I recently purchased their Family Cookbook, and Family Baking Book, and highly recommend them both. I can read cooking magazines & cookbooks like novels (K has lately taken to reading cookbooks the same way. I even saw her grab my Julia Child cookbook the other day!). I devour them, and come back to them again and again. Everyday Food magazine (another great PBS cooking show) is another favorite. I also like to look on Food Network’s website, and Allrecipes for ideas when I want to make something, but am having trouble finding just the right recipe. Both of those have ratings and reviews, and I find comments from others who love to cook most helpful.

I think baking is my favorite variation on cooking, though. Cookies, especially. I have a killer chocolate chip recipe, and sugar cookie recipe, and it’s so much fun to whip up a batch when the craving arises, and have the girlies help. Though sometimes I find that it’s better to bake alone, as a sort of therapy. Little voices do tend to be a bit distracting, lovely though they are.

So here’s to tasty food! And Central Market, where I can get lovely supplies for wonderful meals! Happy Central Market Day!