Roasted Squash Vegetable Medley

This dish is a super easy summer side dish that Joel and I enjoy all summer long. It's originally Rachel Ray's recipe with a few of my own adjustments. I ran across it when I bought my first summer squashes from the farmers market and wasn't sure what to do with them. I like pairing this with chicken dishes, especially a whole roasted chicken, but it goes well with much more too.

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
1 medium yellow squash, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, halved then cut into chunks
.5 pound crimini mushrooms, quartered or halved
2 tablespoons grape seed oil (olive oil's smoke point is too low for this)
1.5 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1.5 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine zucchini and yellow squash pieces with onions and mushrooms in a mixing bowl. Add oil to the bowl, 2 turns of the bowl in a slow stream. Toss veggies until they are coated lightly and evenly with the oil.

Combine poultry seasoning with salt and pepper and sprinkle evenly over the vegetables. Toss them again to combine and spread them out on to a baking sheet. Place veggies in a hot oven and roast 20 to 25 minutes until tender. Toss and turn the veggies with kitchen tongs half way through cooking time.

Andy Widman

I wish I could be at Andy Widman's funeral. He was a very dear friend to me in highschool. I'm so glad to hear how the city of Fort Meyers and especially the police department, is honoring Andy and stepping up to be there for his family. More than anything I just wish I could see his sister Abby (also a good friend from high school) and give her a hug. I really can't even imagine how crushed she must be. I wish I could hug and cry with Joe, his dad and Marty, his mom. A wonderful couple that encouraged me at countless cross country and track meets, as well as all the cheerleading events and just in life, in general. They were always a couple that knew how to love thier kids and how to even care for thier kid's friends, like me.

I found out last night that Andy was shot while serving as a police officer in Florida. I didn't realize he became an officer a little more than a year ago. His missionary funding didn't come through and so he was taking a more stable career path. I'm sure his relationship with the mission field wasn't over, it just seemed to be on hold. Andy and I both cared about missions and talked about it quite a bit.

He also loved reptiles and biology. I remember him thinking maybe Brazil would be a good place to do missions. I think he was drawn to it because of all the reptiles there in the jungles:) Adventure never really scared Andy, it was more invigorating to him. Andy's love for reptiles really had a-lot to do with his appreciation for living things. He was was kind and respectful of all little critters and creation in general, which I believe is very telling about a person. I remember when this guy in Andy's highschool class threw little crawdads from a near by creek up in the air and hit them with a bat. I was crying my eyes out and feeling shocked that someone was cold enough to do that. Most people would have thought I was over-reacting (I was and still am a bit sensitive to any form of cruelty) but Andy didn't make me feel dumb for crying so hard. He confronted his classmate, saved the rest of the crawdads and told me that he was going to make sure that didn't happen to the crawdads in the creek again.

I also remember him showing me his iguana. We had a brotherly/ sisterly friendship and we always went to highschool formals together because we knew it would just be fun and there would be no wierd romantic pressure. When he pulled his iguana out, it took a look at my brighly colored, delicious flower corsage and took a big bite out of it. We laughed so hard!

I've been out of touch with Andy for a little while but I knew that he was raising funds for missions. Last week I just thought of Andy and his wife out of the blue and was thinking how I wanted to give something toward his missionary efforts if he was still needing support. When I originally got the letter, my husband, Joel, was an MDiv Seminarian (like Andy once was) and the cash flow was tight. I was going to dig through old papers to find a support letter I got from him a few years ago. I just knew that whatever Andy was doing for God's kingdom would be solid, intelligent, and effective. He was someone I believed in and I wanted to support him and his family on the mission field. Then... such sad news.

Andy cared about little creatures and God's creation but Andy especially cared for others. His heart was big for people. He knew how to be a true friend. The effect that his friendship had on me was actually quite important through my highschool years. He taught me about acceptance and about not showing partiality, to love people as they are regardless of thier popularity, appearance, or complexity. I watched Andy listen to and provide real strength and support for many of his guy freinds. He had a way of helping his friends through hard times. Andy also showed me personally tremendous respect. When I think about how impressionable a girl can be in highschool and how important it is that they have guy friends that treat them with value and respect, I know Andy's friendship was a real gift to me in that way. How many guy friends from highschool can you actually say made you feel more valuable as a person? I think it's because Andy loved God, and wasn't self seeking. He was like a true brother.

Andy ran cross country with me and my brother, Aaron. I can't even count the number of times I yelled "GO ANDY"! I think Aaron's legs were three times as long as Andy's, but he knew how to give Aaron a run for the money. They had a neat comradery and would push eachother. He was determined. He had perseverance. I can still picture his hair flopping and that tired but determined cross country look. He had lots of energy and a light hearted, fun outlook on life. He knew what mattered in life, but he still had fun and laughed. Us cross country folk where a tight nit group led by our wonderful leader, friend, teacher, and coach: Mr. Rabb. I think cross country for all us was a valuable life-lesson sport. I can still hear Andy cheering me on too out on the grassy courses every Saturday morning each fall.

Andy was so kind to me. I remember when a group of us friends were together and just to be silly, we started drinking poppy seed dressing....ummmm yeah, we were a bunch of Christian kids who had to spice up life somehow:) Later we were all at the rec center in Bowling Green and the dressing wasn't settling so well with me. I tried to make it to the bathroom, but didn't. I threw up before reaching the toilet and got it all over me too. Andy didn't mock me or say I smelled or anything. He just made sure I was ok and took me home smelly and all.

I know I'm sharing highschool stories, but Andy made a hudge impression on me then. I know as he went off to Tocoa Falls he carried all the wonderful values he had with him and kept honing all his skills for God's kingdom. I remember when he met Susanna and how excited he was to literally find a soul mate that he would adventure into the future with. I knew Susanna was a trememdous person just by the fact that Andy picked her and that she loved God with all her heart. I was sad that I couldn't make it to the wedding. I was excited for him as he went to Seminary. It was so fitting for Andy.

I think of the kind of son Andy was, the good brother, the husband. I have no doubt he loved Susanna with every inch of his being and laid down his life for her, and I know without even seeing him first hand with his children that he was a hands on dad, an encourager. His dad is that way and I know he was passing that on to his kids. Every where Andy went, he built up those around him. He was the type of guy that really our world needs. He was an all too rare example for how men should be in this confused culture and age. His life is a tremendous loss in so many ways. I hope to meet his kids some day. I hope they will know the legacy thier dad had and will want to serve the Lord too. I hope they will sense what an incredible guy thier dad was and know how honorable he was.

So now I think I've been crying my eyes our for almost 24 hours. I still fell like I have so many more tears. It's just incredibly sad. I really love the Widman family. They will be in my constant thoughts. They are so dear. I'm so sad this happened to thier family.... well I just wanted to share about Andy. There is sooooo much more to share, but I'm glad to have this blog to share with others, especially since I won't be at the funeral tomorrow. Andy is someone that absolutely should be remembered. I will be remembering him for years and years to come!

My Birthday Gift of Soul Food

My birthday was special for many reasons, but in particular it was special because I had the joy of serving food at the Lord's Lighthouse. It's a brief service followed by a meal every Sunday afternoon for the homeless at my church. Joel and I teamed up. He would hold the tray of plates and I would pass them out.

Before the food was served Aimee, a long time volunteer and beautifully open hearted woman, spoke to the group of 200 concerning Jesus' saying "I am the bread of life". It's a message that could have sounded trite to a group of people so aware of their lack, and desperate need, but she addressed them as friends. Many of them truly are her friends and not just a "ministry project". God's presence of love was tangible in the room as she spoke from her heart, which was ultimately God's heart. The message was not one bit insensitive, but literally made me feel that the deepest parts of my very soul and longings were being filled with Christ. By the rapt attention Aimee easily held for twenty minutes and the looks on faces across the room, I knew the souls of the homeless were also being fed.

There is no place I would have rather been on my birthday. In the tangible presence of God. God's presence was filling my soul and the soul and needs of those around me. I felt alive and happy. To me it was special that my first time serving at the Lord's Lighthouse marked the end of a rather hard, transitional year, but the beginning of a new year. And I believe it's also telling, that my new year will be filled with serving the Lord in ways which I have longed to and with gifts I have been waiting to share. I will be returning to the Lord's Lighthouse again and again with an open heart of worship, working hands, and perhaps in the near future, a guitar, and some songs written for those broken and needing Christ to fill their souls, myself included. I think the Lord's Lighthouse coordinator is open to that.

Fava Beans! A Mid-Spring Treat!

So, after all the fava bean buzz around SoCal farmer's markets, I gave them a try. They truly are a rare mid-spring treat. Hurry and give them a try before they go out of season! This recipe was a delicious, authentically Italian dish for enjoying them. Very simple too. The key is fresh ingredients, they hold their own class of flavor without much needed help.

I served them over just a very small portion of fresh linguine sprinkled with olive oil and pepper (add more olive oil over dish if seems too dry). Warm, crusty, multi-grain bread dipped in cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil made for a tasty side along with lemon roasted whole artichokes. Artichokes are also in season and accented the fava dish very nicely.

Fava Beans, Roman Style

Pancetta, one half-inch thick slice
3 pounds unshelled young fresh fava beans
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup water
Black pepper, freshly ground
Sea Salt

1. Unroll the pancetta and cut it into stripes 1⁄4 inch wide

2. Shell the beans and wash in cold water.

3. Cook the onion in the oil until it becomes translucent, then add the pancetta strips and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in beans and pepper. Add water and simmer, covered, on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes if the beans are young and tender, or up to 15 minutes if the beans are larger and tougher. Add extra tablespoons of water if necessary. When the beans are tender, add salt, and cook for a few more minutes uncovered until the last of the water has evaporated.

Source: Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan

A lesson in Jesus' School of Compassion

Continuing on my journey through John, here are some thoughts on the following verses, found in the middle of the Lazarus story:

John 11:32b-33: “’Master!’ she (Mary) said. ‘If only you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!’ When Jesus saw her crying, and the Judeans who had come with her crying, he was deeply stirred in his spirit, and very troubled.”

This particular moment, in John’s story, about Lazarus’ death, teaches me a great deal about compassion! Taking a moment to pause, open myself to feeling another’s pain, hurt or distress, is sensitive, compassionate, and an opportunity for God’s heart of love for people to be shared.

There are other verses, through out the Gospel writings, that reveal Jesus is moved emotionally and compassionately by human grief and distress. Of course, there is the infamous “Jesus wept” passage, when he looked out over a city and knew that the men and women who lived there had no peace. There is also an example during Jesus’ death. While hanging on the cross, he looked down and saw his mother, whose heart was surely ripped in two. John was standing near her, and in the middle of horrific physical suffering, Jesus tells John to care for his mother. Examples of Jesus’ compassion is exhaustive, but this moment, in the verse above, would be on the running list.

At music school, I had many classmates from other cultures that did not grow up around Christianity. The name Jesus had little value or place in their lives and upbringing. “Prayer” or “praying” to Jesus was an illusive, somewhat meaningless activity. A teacher in my program was a Christian, and when she encountered a distressed student one day, who was crying and upset, she said, “I’ll be praying for you.” She left and continued on with her day. Not much later, there was a stir amongst the students in my class. A rumor was spreading that our teacher didn’t really care about us. I was puzzled, because she taught with passion, giving her all, and always seemed warm. The uncaring label seemed far from the truth.

It didn’t take long to find out what caused the stir. A handful of students were shocked by the teacher’s coldness toward the girl that had been crying. They didn’t understand how she could just walk away when someone was crying with a comment about something to do with prayer, and not sit with them, or give them a hug, and be with them. I felt bad for my Christian teacher because I knew her intentions had been good and she had been misunderstood. But, it also gave me a new perspective, and I could see why some students may have perceived her as being cold, especially since promises of prayer didn’t have much meaning for them.

How many times have I tried to comfort others in the same way? I know I’ve said to others in distress, “l’ll be praying for you,” without taking a moment to be with them in their sadness, or to sit and stay, and feel some of what they feel at that moment. Sometimes I can be too quick to move toward the subject of hope and a good news ending when I encounter those suffering or even deal with my own sufferings.

Continuing with Jesus example from the above verse, he walks into this mourning situation and, as always with perfection, shows the way of compassion and love, especially toward Lazarus sister’s Martha and Mary. Martha has already come to Jesus, and now Mary has come to him followed by a crowd of Lazarus’ mourners. Jesus greater intention for coming is to apparently “wake Lazarus up,” which actually means, as Jesus has already explained to the disciples, raise him up from being dead a few days. What a miraculous event to take place, just around the corner from this scene!

If I had directed this story (HA!) and I was at the point where Jesus sees Mary and the mourning Judeans all crying, Jesus next line would have been, “Hey guys, no worries! I’m just about to raise Lazarus from the dead and you don’t need to be sad. Cheer up! Something great is about to happen!” Well, there are certainly many obvious and good reasons that I, and everyone else, are glad God is the director of the story instead. Only under God’s direction, is perfect love displayed by what Jesus ACTUALLY does next.

Jesus’ first reaction, is to say nothing at all. He feels. The passage says, “He was deeply stirred in his spirit, and very troubled.” This is compassion coming into the scene. Jesus opens himself to feeling with those who are hurting around him. It’s clear from earlier verses that Jesus knew good news was just around the corner and Lazarus would be raised up from death. It’s the greater purpose for which Jesus had come, but his actions show incredible sensitivity because it’s not the first thing he points out a mourning group of people. He is compassionate, pausing to be with those in distress even before pointing to hope.

Christ’s example in contrast to my own actions and those sometimes perceive in Christian culture, got me thinking. What are promises of prayer and hopeful solutions without true Christ exemplified compassion first? And what are some of the things that keep me from embracing the compassion I see in Jesus? For me, sometimes being busy gets in the way, even though I know God is less concerned about my keeping to a daily schedule than I am☺. Also, suffering can just be plain uncomfortable in myself and in others. I usually want to hurry through it. Taking time to pause in grief and pain seems like a damper. Getting to the “happy” side of life feels better. Yet, no one knows better than Christ himself that there is a time and place for every season of the soul.

What a much needed lesson Jesus actions are in the school of compassion! My response right now can only be to pray for help: “Lord, only you are holy and perfect. Help me learn how to pause in the moment with those hurting. Help me to remember that I don’t always need to talk or say something. Help me to be sensitive and compassionate like you. May others see and experience your love through my actions. Amen.”

The Faith it Took to Walk to Bethany

I’ve decided to read John for Everyone, which is basically the book of John with some helpful notes and thoughts by Tom Wright. It’s kind of like a commentary for those who need something in plain language. I started to read it because Joel was enjoying the “for everyone” commentary series and has been buying them up at Archives (a new and used theological book shop). I really like them! And, I decided to start with John because I learn so much about Jesus when I read it, which makes it probably my favorite book in the Bible.

So, I have part II of John, chapters 11-21, and it starts with a story about Jesus and his interactions surrounding the death of Lazarus. Faith is demonstrated by Jesus with striking perfection, and His disciples (often dogged for having “little” faith) though conflicted, as I more personally relate to, still have some moments of true shinning faith.

I never realized that Jesus was outside Judea at this point in John’s story (which included Bethany where Lazarus dead body layed), because the Judeans were seeking to kill him, and more specifically, tried to stone him earlier. In a sense, he was hiding out when Lazarus got ill and died. This has much to do with his practical delay in coming to the situation. Of course, it’s also obvious there were unseen reasons for his delay, that only God understood at the time. When Jesus finally starts heading toward the mourners and Mary and Martha (Lazarus’ sisters) in Bethany, his disciples think he is basically committing suicide and seem shocked he would walk into such obvious danger.

What is danger in the face of God’s will? What place does fear have when we trust God’s will is good and will be done in our lives? I think of this when reading this passage. Jesus displays this perfectly as only He can. He knows that nothing can happen to Him outside of God’s will and timing and He trusts God’s will and timing are best and good. I personally think He knows it’s not his time to die yet, but I feel awed by Jesus, that He follows His Father’s will down to Lazarus not only when He knows no harm will come to Him, and a glorious miracle will take place, but He equally follows his Father’s will later in the story, when He fully knows it will lead him to pain, suffering, and death. Jesus life displays faith in whole, not in part! Not just in the happy ending stuff, but in the “hard to swallow” stuff.

Thankfully, God never wills for us to die brutally for the sins of the world (this was a task unique only to Jesus and will never be required of His followers), but the Bible does make it clear, that those who believe are called to live out God’s love for all people through acts of goodness, and to proclaim the truth of Jesus death and resurrection. This can certainly cause believers to face some scary and sticky situations. Some have and currently face death, imprisonment, and brutalities for that cause. I know God has a special grace and place in His heart for these people! Death is obviously extreme faith and I’ll be honest, I don’t necessarily foresee that happening to me in the United States (I certainly hope it won’t anyway), but through Jesus example, even though I’m not facing terrible death, I am personally encouraged to trust God with faith and without fear, even when things are hard or I experience my own types of sufferings.

Something I remember well, when I was on a short-term mission trip, with a medical team, in the back jungles of the Philippines, was a comment our local contact and leader made. His name was Pio, and he lived and breathed the missionary long-term lifestyle in these remote, rather dangerous tribal areas. The danger he encountered regularly didn’t quite compare with my daily U.S. experience ☺ As we were trudging along in the mud and rain, on our way to a village, he said, “The best place to be is in God’s will, even if that is in a plane about to crash.” That always stood out to me, because I sensed he wasn’t just pulling a random example, but had actually experienced that very situation. There was a genuine tone in his voice. That comment has provoked my thoughts for quite some time now.

Though the disciples, in John’s story, do not have striking faith like Jesus in the situation, I have to give them some definite faith credit here. They followed him right down to Bethany. It seems that Thomas makes, what I imagine was a sarcastic remark, as they head off along the lines of “We might as well die with him.” But… they went and Jesus even states that the whole situation is good for the disciples faith, to help it grow.

Seems God is still equally concerned about His disciples’ faith growing today. In fact He not only implies we will face hardships the Bible clearly teaches that we Will face hardship. Our faith is often tested and we find ourselves feeling half crazy, going out on a limb of faith, probably much like the disciples felt in this passage, walking into what seemed a death trap in Bethany. Maybe they were even starting to imagine what the blow of being stoned would feel like if they were caught? But, they had enough faith from God to keep walking and it’s obvious the disciples had ultimate confidence in following where Jesus led, or they wouldn’t have gone, even if they didn’t understand the events around them. I can relate to this! Can’t every believer! None of us seem to escape this sort of testing and refining of our faith!

Imagine if the disciples did not go with Jesus to Bethany out of fear? They would have missed such a glorious event! Because they followed Jesus they saw a man, and not just any man, but their friend, raise up from death! Now, from this story, I can’t conclude that these “faith growing” experiences always lead us to wonderful feelings, that I’m sure the disciples, in this instance, where feeling as they witness their friend’s literal resurrection. I would be making a conclusion based on one story, without a larger balance of many stories and teachings in the Bible, but I think I can safely conclude, that following Jesus, with faith, leads us to God’s glory. And that is a gem worth more than I can imagine now, but have only tasted on my discipleship journey! Experiencing this glory, I am convinced has something to do with abundant life and lasting, not fleeting, deep joy, which is really true happiness. Faith leads us to God’s glory where true joy and meaning is found.

Praise the King Today

Today is Palm Sunday. It means more to me this Sunday than in the past because Joel and I started following the Christian calendar this year. Now we are more focused on the themes. It really struck me that Jesus is King and I'm compelled to praise him as I think of everything he is worthy to be praised for.

Joel gave the sermon today at church. It just seems right, when he is preaching. It brings both of us joy.

We are getting ready for some transitions. We are stepping out of leading worship at the Vineyard as we look at ministry jobs for Joel. I'm not sure what our church community will look like over the next months, which is just a bit unsettling. We have our hopes that Hollywood will work out in the end, but we are on the ride of waiting and wondering right now.

My end of the quarter R&B performance is Tuesday, so that will wrap up another quarter. I never thought I would enjoy studying and singing R&B, but the old stuff has gems of singing with soul! I have learned so much from the licks, ad-libs and feel, staying in the pocket (rhythm of the song). I've gained so much from studying "true" R&B (I'm not talking about the modern hip hop stuff). I feel like it's added more color and texture to my voice.

I'm starting to write some of my own songs and giving that some attention. It's amazing to me when I realize, I can actually hear something in my head and write the sheet music out so other musicians can understand it and play it. I can't do it as quickly as I hope to in the future. It takes me a while, but I've finally begun. I have that tool in my bag to pull out now:)

I'm not completely sure what will come out as I write, but I'm not going to worry about it, I'll just let it be what it is. The song I'm working on now is actually rather serious and has a bit of blues feel. I think of myself as being someone who writes about the many seasons of the soul. There are hard grieving seasons, so this song will probably relate to that best.

Fantastic & Much Needed Weekend!

It would be criminal to stay indoors. These are my favorite months. God's completely necessary grace comes to us all in different ways, and I am convinced that grace in my life lately is most shinning in the fresh warm sun and spring blossoms.

LA seems smaller after Joel's triathlon, it's a unique community of people that make up this place! We met some of the nicest people while Joel competed his heart out for the benefit of World Vision. It was a wonderful day at the Rose Bowl!

Thanks to all who are praying as Joel continues on the path to an "official" ministry job. We don't really know which church we will be calling home, and have worn a bit with the ups and downs, but each new day we put on our trust in God and find rest that he has a good plan for our lives. Please keep praying.

We met with Aunt Suzy and cousin Holly for some Italian at Holly's little find in Brentwood. We love our family and are always up for visits, it was a wonderful time! We also got excited for Justin as we met for coffee and heard how God is bringing things together for his amazing work to take place in Africa.

Let Me Begin

After thinking about which forum to use for connecting with those dear to me, being somewhat simple, and in need of an uncluttered, straight-forward format, I'm giving blogger my time. As nice as it would be to spy:) on people, like my little brother, with a my space account, my head was spinning just to try and set it up. It had the similar effect on me as an overly cluttered, discount sale rack. As tempting as the sale may be, it's like torture to look at the chaos, let alone begin digging through it.

So as time moves, days turn, and life happens I hope to share with you glimpses of those things I am experiencing, thinking about, and simply enjoy, whether it be a book I'm reading, tried and true (to my taste buds) recipe, LA excursion, or song I am singing... my heart is not to find identity and recognition by casting myself through cyber space, but rather to share the richness of friendship I have with those I miss. Here's to hoping I'll feel closer to you than the reality of miles or neighborhoods away.

Cheers to sharing!

when i get inspired

i'm singing


i was awakened with first impressions
earthy human fleshly tones that breathed
connections of the human soul

feeling safe to feel subliminally
for the courageous uncontrollably
unlocking inward groans

to let the swell of ocean waves roll
into my cavernous soul
empty spaces filling, now full

receiving can no longer hold
what is compelling can not be told
in quiet and mere words of spelling