Friday, December 28, 2018

Friday (Re) Focus - Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

We use this verse for all sorts of situations and circumstances. We SAY "God knows best" or "God gives us what we NEED" but what does that really look like?

I'd like to share one example from my own life....

My sister in law, my younger brother's wife, lives about 2 hours from her parents now, but she goes home for everyone's birthdays. Her entire family gathers to celebrate holidays, birthdays, graduations, births, engagements, and other life events. This extends beyond her immediate family to her aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

I was envious of this for a long time. 

My family, consisting of both sets of parents and my siblings, nieces and nephews, are more of the attitude of "if you need me, I'm here." Please understand, I've never been denied anything I needed from any of them. I've never been turned away when I wanted to visit. I do not feel disconnected from them or anything like that. We just all have our own lives. We are loosely connected rather than tightly woven.

I wanted to be tightly woven. 

Had I grown up in a tightly woven family that gathered to celebrate every life event, it would have been nearly impossible for me to fully embrace my life and role as a pastor's wife. It would have caused conflict in my marriage if my heart's desire was to travel 6 hours (12 round trip) to go home for every family life event.  I would not have been able to be fully involved in our church family if I consistently missed church events because I was going home... or would have had a nasty attitude over being forced to choose one over the other. 

God withheld the close knit family I wanted from me.

He did this, knowing that being woven so tightly to my biological family would hinder my ministry and my place (and peace) as Calvin's wife. 

I am so thankful that God reveals this and so many other things to me. My history with God helps me trust Him more. The longer I know Him, the easier it is to trust that His way is best...

...especially when what I want to have is not what He wants to give. 



Much love and big big hugs, 
K


Thursday, December 27, 2018

Thursday thoughts on.... 100 things from 2018

Each year, my friend Shellie and I compose a list of 100 things. I think we've done this for 3 or 4 years. It's not life changing. Nothing super insightful about it. Just 100 things. I think that, as time goes on, I will find these lists nostalgic or comical. We'll see.

Anyway... here's this year's list.
  1. Brian and Tayler got engaged!
  2. Dailyn Shea was born!
  3. Pops got saved and Baptized!!!!
  4. Grandma Jackie Died.
  5. Jess and Drew got married!
  6. Had my 46th birthday
  7. Billy Graham died
  8. Izzy turned 13
  9. Brian turned 19
  10. Calvin turned 52
  11. Toys R us closed
  12. IHOB
  13. Baker had a hip replaced.
  14. "Free Lunch for Me!!!!!!" - Olivia 
  15. I was actually interested in the mid-term elections
  16. I had 2 injections into my cord to "plump" it up so that I won't get strangled as easily.
  17. Doc Schweinfurth broke his leg.
  18. Winter Olympics - South Korea
  19. Did my first (and second) Craft show!
  20. Sold first painting for over $150
  21. Shipped paintings as far north as Minnesota and as far south as Florida
  22. Spoke at a ladies event (at our church) about how my relationship w/ Christ helped me recover from my suicide attempt
  23. Baby its Cold outside controversy
  24. Kate Spade committed suicide
  25. Anthony Bourdain committed Suicide
  26. Neil Simon died
  27. Burt Reynolds died
  28. New Orleans voted 8th worst city to live in 
  29. Memphis voted 5th worst place to live
  30. Nolan Reese was born
  31. Ryan and Kara got married
  32. Meghan Markle
  33. Stephen Hawking Died.
  34. Charles Krutheimer died
  35. Eagles won the Super Bowl
  36. George WH Bush (POTUS 41) died
  37. Barbara Bush Died
  38. Unemployment lowest since 1969
  39. Shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue
  40. Tide Pods. 
  41. Yodelling Walmart Kid
  42. Jeff Sessions
  43. Yanny vs. Laurel
  44. Roseanne got kicked off her own show because of a Tweet.
  45. "In my feelings" challenge
  46. "challenges" in general.... 
  47. Text Messages from President Trump
  48. School Shooting - Parkland Fl
  49. "Space Force"
  50. Stormy Daniels
  51. Micheal Cohen
  52. Kim Jong Un / Trump Meeting
  53. John McCain died
  54. Brett Kavanaugh
  55. Kavanaugh confirmed 50 to 48
  56. Elizabeth Warren - DNA Test
  57. Child Immigrants being separated from their parents
  58. Camp Fire in California
  59. Hurricane Michael
  60. Aretha Franklin died
  61. Nike - Collin Kaepernick
  62. Nick and Reagan Tanksley
  63. Golden State Killer (Joseph DeAngelo Jr) was arrested 
  64. Computer types words you think (MIT)
  65. Bill Cosby Convicted of sexual assault
  66. Brian got Coskey Scholarship
  67. Second Royal Wedding 
  68. Went to Shellie's Christmas Open House at Clyde and Marie's
  69. Riverdale
  70. Rick left The Walking Dead
  71. Found out that our area is a hub for sex trafficking (I-20 and I-55 intersect here)
  72. Learned that Sex Traffickers can grab a girl and have her out of the US in 48 hours
  73. Brian at New Orleans
  74. Memes
  75. Peyton's Dad diagnosed w cancer
  76. BJ and April Shows came on staff for Youth at Pearson
  77. Brazilian Wax job
  78. Ladies Christmas Tablescape Dinner... Choose Joy
  79. Myles Davis completed Chemo
  80. Brant and Emily Married. 
  81. Brant moved from Youth to Children
  82. Izzy the Deer Slayer
  83. Brian worked at the Gym at the Seminary, then at Hibitt Sports, and played drums at Canal Street Church 
  84. Opioid Epidemic
  85. Uber
  86. 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's Assassination
  87. Learned to paint trees
  88. 100 day challenge for me... fail
  89. "lonliness" epidemic
  90. Brian started "Being Christian" podcast
  91. Brian asked to be Site Director for Mission Lab
  92. Brian asked to be on panel to answer questions concerning a potential grant to the seminary
  93. Calvin president of Pastor's conf. 
  94. To Tennessee for Christmas - the weekend after Christmas.
  95. Saw all my siblings at Christmas
  96. Best Christmas lights ever - Christmas eve with Iz and the Copelands
  97. Payton, Mary Elizabeth, and Olivia joined the Upstairs crew
  98. Best Christmas - relaxed time w family and friends, Christmas Eve service, Christmas lights, peace in my heart
  99. If something is shipped to you in error, you do not have to return it. Federal law says a company cannot make you pay for something you did not order.
  100. Last year to work for Chuck.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Wednesday's Weekly Recipe - NEW YEAR's Day must-haves

I have only recently been made aware that, in other parts of America, all holidays do not revolve around food. I am still trying to wrap my brain around this.

While I am learning that New Year's Day is about football and stuff for some, for me it is still mostly about the food... and resolutions... but that is a post for another day....maybe tomorrow.

Growing up, my mama ALWAYS made sure that we had the traditional (evidently traditionally SOUTHERN) New Year's Day meal. Even now, she will call to make sure that we all had our Black Eye Peas, Greens and Hog Jowl.

I never questioned it. It's just what you must do.

First, Black Eyed peas. Cook them however you want. (Some people eat exactly 365 peas, one for every day of the year.) I put hog jowl in mine and cook 'em nice and slow.  (I do not count out 365) You can also make Hoppin John, if that's more to your liking. (link to recipe)

Rumor has it the Southern-based tradition started during the Civil War. Apparently, Union General Sherman and his troops raided the Confederate food supplies but left the black-eyed peas and salted pork, thinking they were animal foods. The Confederate soldiers considered this good fortune since they still had food left to eat.

Second, you must have greens. Now, everything I read says that you must have Collards, but mama cooked turnip greens...at least that's what she told us. (maybe I should check on that) I don't THINK it matters... the point is that they are green... like money. I cook mine with butter and bacon.

Greens are among the healthiest Southern foods (well...until you cook them in  bacon and butter, of course). There's also a pretty good reason Southerners eat greens around New Years: they're still in season! Cabbage and collard greens are both late crops in America, so it just makes sense that's the fresh green we eat on New Year's.

Finally, Hog jowl. This is like, really (really) thick bacon. Mama says you have to eat hog jowl, but in reality, any pork will do. Ham is a nice substitute and rounds out your meal nicely.

The very last thing... I almost forgot... is cornbread. Now, I read that this is because it is gold like... well, gold... keeping with the whole "wealth and luck" theme. HOWEVER... there is a much more practical reason for cooking a batch of cornbread... it is practically a sin to eat greens or peas without it!

So there you have it. Gettin 2019 off to a good start with our traditional (albeit superstitious) New Year's Day meal.


Enjoy!
K