This post is 100% not meant to poke fun at someone's faith and their ability to pray as they see fit. I admire in a lot of people the ability to put their faith out there for the world to see, and hope that this post does not offend anyone in anyway, they are just my own personal feelings and would love feedback. If you are not LDS, I would especially love to hear from you, as I find incredible insight into how I should be growing my own faith more, based on your examples.
I've been mulling over whether to post my feelings on this subject or not, and have decided to get it out there and hopefully group my thoughts and make some sense of my feelings here (read: I'm very nervous about actually voicing these opinions outside of discussion with very close friends).
While blog surfing I came across a post by someone (they are not in my link of friends, just so you know, and won't be tempted to look through those searching for the exact quote) who will remain anonymous, and they were saying that before they went grocery shopping they asked God to help them find the best deals that they could (very rough paraphrase of the situation), and lo and behold they ended up saving a ton of money. My first thought, was 'Wonderful!'. However, I have been struggling with this concept of praying over things that seem so insignificant in the grand scheme of eternal progression.
I am well aware of the fact that we are to pray over all things, but does it really matter if we save $10 on our grocery bill? Does this seem blasphemous of me? It seems that as long as this person feels they received an answer to their prayers, and thus increase their faith, then it's a good thing. But thoughts like this make me nervous because it seems to me such a fragile thing to base your faith upon. That faith of this sort is so flimsy to begin with that, say for instance, they actually ended up spending $5 more than they had allotted, would their faith be adversely affected because their prayer over grocery shopping wasn't 'heard', or answered in the way they had planned?
While I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who cares about our eternal well being, and love being able to develop a close personal relationship with Him as His daughter by constant prayer, would it be taking the name of the Lord in vain (as we close in the Name of Jesus Christ, thus using that prayer as He would) to pray about the minutae of life? Or should the sacred name be used for more important things? And if so, what are the more important things? I whole-heartedly know of the power of prayer and never in my life would I consider not including my Savior and Father in my everyday life, that is not my point, my faith in prayer is not floundering, so please do not misunderstand my intentions.
We are told in the scriptures that a servant who has to be guided in all things is a slothful and unprophitable servant. So how much are we required to figure out on our own, and how much are we to depend upon miracles? The purpose of this life is to figure out how to return to live with Him some day, and gratefully, we have the Holy Ghost to help us in this endeavor, but if we were constantly guided we would never have to learn for ourselves, and thus never truly progress, or have to exercise faith, and faith is ultimate strength, we would never become strong.
I guess most of my struggle lies in finding the appropriate balance of reverence and love for our Heavenly Father (praying over the 'important things') with finding the more intimate relationship as a daughter would have with her father (praying over the 'minutae'). Since my basis for understanding of the relationship between parent and child is founded in an earthly relationship, and thus not a perfect one.
There you have it: a buffet of my thoughts this morning.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Lemony Potatoes
1/8 cup canola oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
juice and zest of 1 good-sized lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed (or 8 to 10 red potatoes, not peeled, just washed and cubed)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together the canola oil, melted butter, lemon juice and zest, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet and drizzle any remaining liquid from the bowl over them.
Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are brown and crispy, about 45 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through cook time.
1/4 cup butter, melted
juice and zest of 1 good-sized lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed (or 8 to 10 red potatoes, not peeled, just washed and cubed)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together the canola oil, melted butter, lemon juice and zest, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet and drizzle any remaining liquid from the bowl over them.
Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are brown and crispy, about 45 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through cook time.
Really Good Ribs
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Use dry rub of choice, rub over approx 5 lbs of pork spare ribs.
Cook ribs in preheated oven 15 minutes, turn and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a slow cooker (I had to cut the rack in half to get it to fit), dump 1 whole bottle of your favorite bbq sauce over ribs. Cook on low 4 1/2 hours.
Remove from slow cooker and grill over medium heat about 6 mins. on each side, just to crisp the outside, basting with bbq sauce.
Yum-yum!
Use dry rub of choice, rub over approx 5 lbs of pork spare ribs.
Cook ribs in preheated oven 15 minutes, turn and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a slow cooker (I had to cut the rack in half to get it to fit), dump 1 whole bottle of your favorite bbq sauce over ribs. Cook on low 4 1/2 hours.
Remove from slow cooker and grill over medium heat about 6 mins. on each side, just to crisp the outside, basting with bbq sauce.
Yum-yum!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
31 Years of Wisdom
Things I've learned in 31 years, some of it is serious, some not so:
1. If your brown sugar has hardened: grate it over a cheese grater.
2. An Austrian toilet bowl looks different than an American one.
3. Always accept an offered piece of gum/breath mint, etc. It may be the offerer's polite way of suggesting that you could use fresher breath.
4. Never ask a question that you don't want the honest answer too. And if you get an honest answer don't be offended by it.
5. Graham crackers dipped in orange juice = goodness.
6. Sink overflowing with dish detergent bubbles? Someone put liquid dish soap (not dishwasher detergent) in the dishwasher, and now it's a bubblin'? Sprinle said offending bubbles with table salt, it breaks up the bubbles, makes clean up much easier.
7. When choosing a pineapple do the top and bottom test: smell the bottom part, if it smells like a pineapple, that's a good sign. Pull out one of the top center fronds: if it gives way easily, another good sign. It will 99% of the time be delicious if these two tests are administered and passed.
8. Loving others is the easy part. It's liking that takes some practice.
9. The reason to have a clothes line outside: to keep electricity costs down. Arizona has ideal weather for this.
10. How to change a tire (picture me, pregnant, Ethan in the car, on I-5 between LA and Sacramento, about 95 degrees outside).
11. Friends keep in contact if they really care about you, that's why they're friends.
12. Naps are good.
13. It's easier to do chores right away rather than put them off: it really doesn't take that long, and the time you spend procratinating isn't worth the stress.
14. If you're not sure wether something is a prompting of the Holy Ghost, and the impression is not something that goes contrary to Gospel standards, follow the impression: all things good come from the Lord.
15. I can live without cable TV.
16. Cheese tastes best at room temperature. Austrian cheese is just plain terrible.
17. Driving off a cliff (even if it is only 3 feet tall), in a friend of a friend's mom's car that she bought for $300 is not a good idea.
18. Pull-up diapers are a big waste of money.
19. Fort Putnam is never open.
20. Boys who really want to kiss you will let you paint their fingernails green.
21. New Years Eve on Time Square is really cold!
22. How to say the alphabet backwards.
23. Noxema feels really good on a sunburn, but it also makes the sunburn worse after the cooling sensation disipates.
24. The reason why mom swore every year that she would not make anymore Halloween costumes, and then every year why she did it again anyway (I also learned most swear words from said lesson, as has Ethan).
25. How to train seeing eye dogs.
26. How to use the Paris Metro.
27. Sneaking a peek at your Christmas presents before Christmas morning, just makes Christmas morning anti-climactic.
28. Induction-heat cook tops are ultra rad!
29. The joy of coupons.
30. Storing onions next to potatoes makes the potatoes sprout eyes faster.
31. My faith is not dependant upon miracles. I've seen more miracles than I could think to share, I've also been blessed by not having several miracles given to me that I'd begged for. I still know that God lives, regardless.
It took me a really long time to come up with these tidbits of information. Perhaps someone will benefit from my somewhat miniscule amount of wisdom.
1. If your brown sugar has hardened: grate it over a cheese grater.
2. An Austrian toilet bowl looks different than an American one.
3. Always accept an offered piece of gum/breath mint, etc. It may be the offerer's polite way of suggesting that you could use fresher breath.
4. Never ask a question that you don't want the honest answer too. And if you get an honest answer don't be offended by it.
5. Graham crackers dipped in orange juice = goodness.
6. Sink overflowing with dish detergent bubbles? Someone put liquid dish soap (not dishwasher detergent) in the dishwasher, and now it's a bubblin'? Sprinle said offending bubbles with table salt, it breaks up the bubbles, makes clean up much easier.
7. When choosing a pineapple do the top and bottom test: smell the bottom part, if it smells like a pineapple, that's a good sign. Pull out one of the top center fronds: if it gives way easily, another good sign. It will 99% of the time be delicious if these two tests are administered and passed.
8. Loving others is the easy part. It's liking that takes some practice.
9. The reason to have a clothes line outside: to keep electricity costs down. Arizona has ideal weather for this.
10. How to change a tire (picture me, pregnant, Ethan in the car, on I-5 between LA and Sacramento, about 95 degrees outside).
11. Friends keep in contact if they really care about you, that's why they're friends.
12. Naps are good.
13. It's easier to do chores right away rather than put them off: it really doesn't take that long, and the time you spend procratinating isn't worth the stress.
14. If you're not sure wether something is a prompting of the Holy Ghost, and the impression is not something that goes contrary to Gospel standards, follow the impression: all things good come from the Lord.
15. I can live without cable TV.
16. Cheese tastes best at room temperature. Austrian cheese is just plain terrible.
17. Driving off a cliff (even if it is only 3 feet tall), in a friend of a friend's mom's car that she bought for $300 is not a good idea.
18. Pull-up diapers are a big waste of money.
19. Fort Putnam is never open.
20. Boys who really want to kiss you will let you paint their fingernails green.
21. New Years Eve on Time Square is really cold!
22. How to say the alphabet backwards.
23. Noxema feels really good on a sunburn, but it also makes the sunburn worse after the cooling sensation disipates.
24. The reason why mom swore every year that she would not make anymore Halloween costumes, and then every year why she did it again anyway (I also learned most swear words from said lesson, as has Ethan).
25. How to train seeing eye dogs.
26. How to use the Paris Metro.
27. Sneaking a peek at your Christmas presents before Christmas morning, just makes Christmas morning anti-climactic.
28. Induction-heat cook tops are ultra rad!
29. The joy of coupons.
30. Storing onions next to potatoes makes the potatoes sprout eyes faster.
31. My faith is not dependant upon miracles. I've seen more miracles than I could think to share, I've also been blessed by not having several miracles given to me that I'd begged for. I still know that God lives, regardless.
It took me a really long time to come up with these tidbits of information. Perhaps someone will benefit from my somewhat miniscule amount of wisdom.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Patience
I have been striving for a really long time to develop this elusive trait.
Just this week I received a few epiphanies on the subject, thanks to an amazing prophet, whose name is so long that Moroni abbreviated it to: the brother of Jared.
In the book of Ether while the people of Jared are preparing to come to the promised land they first prepared by gathering their flocks and herds, and their families, and their friends families. Although Moroni doesn't say as much, (he didn't have many plates to work with, he had to create the Reader's Digest version if you will) this must have taken them a long time to accomplish! Only after they had worked does the Lord tell them of the promised land and promises that 'there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. AND THUS WILL I DO UNTO THEE BECAUSE THIS LONG TIME YE HAVE CRIED UNTO ME.' They traveled in the wilderness, being led by the Lord, which again, must have taken a long time. They came to the sea and they were in the land Moriancumer for 4 YEARS. Only then did the Lord instruct the brother of Jared to 'Go to work...' that's when he gave him the instructions on how to build the barges that would take them on their journey to the promised land. I'm not a woodworker by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm sure that building 8 barges that are the length of a tree is not a speedy task. After building the barges, the brother of Jared approached the Lord for answers to his problems, and each time, the Lord first made him prepare before receiving an answer to his pleas. Additionally, when the brother of Jared approached the Lord for assistance, he was specific to the things that he needed. When the Lord asked him: 'Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?', the brother of Jared didn't expect Him to just somehow magically make things all better. He thought it out, worked, and presented the Lord with a way to solve his problem.
We learn in the Doctine and Covenants: For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
All this time I've been praying for patience -- a rather broad term-- just expecting the Lord to hand it over. Is something worth having if it's not earned? At this point I'm telling myself 'No'.
So while I work towards this virtue, I can pray for specific assistance, and will receive the Holy Ghost to help me, but the actual retention of patience will only come by hard work, lots of practice, and of course, more faith, and dreadedly -- time.
Just this week I received a few epiphanies on the subject, thanks to an amazing prophet, whose name is so long that Moroni abbreviated it to: the brother of Jared.
In the book of Ether while the people of Jared are preparing to come to the promised land they first prepared by gathering their flocks and herds, and their families, and their friends families. Although Moroni doesn't say as much, (he didn't have many plates to work with, he had to create the Reader's Digest version if you will) this must have taken them a long time to accomplish! Only after they had worked does the Lord tell them of the promised land and promises that 'there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. AND THUS WILL I DO UNTO THEE BECAUSE THIS LONG TIME YE HAVE CRIED UNTO ME.' They traveled in the wilderness, being led by the Lord, which again, must have taken a long time. They came to the sea and they were in the land Moriancumer for 4 YEARS. Only then did the Lord instruct the brother of Jared to 'Go to work...' that's when he gave him the instructions on how to build the barges that would take them on their journey to the promised land. I'm not a woodworker by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm sure that building 8 barges that are the length of a tree is not a speedy task. After building the barges, the brother of Jared approached the Lord for answers to his problems, and each time, the Lord first made him prepare before receiving an answer to his pleas. Additionally, when the brother of Jared approached the Lord for assistance, he was specific to the things that he needed. When the Lord asked him: 'Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?', the brother of Jared didn't expect Him to just somehow magically make things all better. He thought it out, worked, and presented the Lord with a way to solve his problem.
We learn in the Doctine and Covenants: For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
All this time I've been praying for patience -- a rather broad term-- just expecting the Lord to hand it over. Is something worth having if it's not earned? At this point I'm telling myself 'No'.
So while I work towards this virtue, I can pray for specific assistance, and will receive the Holy Ghost to help me, but the actual retention of patience will only come by hard work, lots of practice, and of course, more faith, and dreadedly -- time.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Got this from Jackie's blog
I liked this:
Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.
Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.
Jumble
Need to feel like your life is great: just watch the TV show Cops. I am in awe of the way some people live their lives. I can't imagine having that much drama!
On one of my hibiscus plants, that I've been trying to nurse back to health after the freeze in the winter, has these mysterious white mites on them that look like they are covered in white powder (they're not aphyds, too big). If any of you are a gardener, or knows much about bugs, how can I get rid of these? I've been just flicking them off, but they keep coming back, and I'm thinking that they're not great for the poor little thing.
After 3 years of living in our house I've finally painted my bedroom. E is enjoying the week with his grandparents in CA, and I had one of the girls in the ward come over and watch M while I painted. We also moved the furniture around and realized that our room is a lot bigger than we thought it was.
I'm just this side of being a hoarder. I've built up a rather large stockpile of food storage, my deep-freezer is packed full and my pantry is just about there. Now I just need to bring myself to actually use it. I'm one of those people that when I buy something nice I hate to use it. But it's silly to not use it after I've paid the money for it in the first place. For instance, sometimes I buy yummy jelly at craft shows, and then never actually use it on say, a PB & J sandwich, I like to save it for when I make homemade biscuits or rolls (which is rare), so what's the point of buying it in the first place? Hmmm, how to get over this?
We got rid of our cable TV about 6 weeks ago, and I have to say I don't miss it at all! I'm actually pretty surprised by that. I thought I would be much more bored than I am. It's actually very refreshing, my house is a lot quieter than it was previously.
On one of my hibiscus plants, that I've been trying to nurse back to health after the freeze in the winter, has these mysterious white mites on them that look like they are covered in white powder (they're not aphyds, too big). If any of you are a gardener, or knows much about bugs, how can I get rid of these? I've been just flicking them off, but they keep coming back, and I'm thinking that they're not great for the poor little thing.
After 3 years of living in our house I've finally painted my bedroom. E is enjoying the week with his grandparents in CA, and I had one of the girls in the ward come over and watch M while I painted. We also moved the furniture around and realized that our room is a lot bigger than we thought it was.
I'm just this side of being a hoarder. I've built up a rather large stockpile of food storage, my deep-freezer is packed full and my pantry is just about there. Now I just need to bring myself to actually use it. I'm one of those people that when I buy something nice I hate to use it. But it's silly to not use it after I've paid the money for it in the first place. For instance, sometimes I buy yummy jelly at craft shows, and then never actually use it on say, a PB & J sandwich, I like to save it for when I make homemade biscuits or rolls (which is rare), so what's the point of buying it in the first place? Hmmm, how to get over this?
We got rid of our cable TV about 6 weeks ago, and I have to say I don't miss it at all! I'm actually pretty surprised by that. I thought I would be much more bored than I am. It's actually very refreshing, my house is a lot quieter than it was previously.
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