Doing the Dance

An amazing friend/mentor gave me a word picture today that has been so impacting that I just can't keep it to myself. We were talking about the challenges of interacting with family and how as Christians we can be godly in our interactions with them. She had been talking with her sister-in-law about how each family has a dance. Keep in mind that this is not a judgment on whether that dance is right or wrong (although we could go there at a later point...), but this is more like comparing swing to the polka to the waltz to break-dancing, etc., etc.

So anyway, one of the reasons so many of us have difficulty understanding our in-laws is that they are doing a different dance than we're used to. For example, my husband understands the dance his family does, whether or not he agrees with it-- and to be honest sometimes it is easier to dance along than to raise a fuss! But if that type of dancing does not come naturally to me, what do I do? Do I become someone I am not and learn to do the dance because it makes them happy? Or do I do my own dance? Or do I respectfully decline not to dance at all, denying both their style of dancing and my own (so I'm not disruptive for their dance)? Or do I pass judgment, complain and make fun of their dance because it is so clearly "wrong"?

Sometimes in my idealistic zeal I get caught up in discussions about what dance is right. Or the MOST right. But the truth is that I need to figure out how to pay respect to my in-laws and appreciate the beauty of their dance. I also need to feel heard and understood about my own dance and I want to be appreciated for who I am and what I can bring to the family. But where is the balance and where does holiness/righteousness fit into it all?

Oh how I love word pictures, and this one is going to stick with me for a long time, I think!

--JLR

Health Insurance

Can I just say that I hate health insurance? I mean, I know it's better to have health insurance than to not, but it sure does seem like a scam. I don't know what the right answers are. I've heard stories of weaknesses in the Canadian system, but to be honest it works well for what we need right now. I hate that we have to again enter into the US system where you have to pay copays in addition to over-inflated premium costs and a substantial deductible... there has to be a better way. I wish I knew what it was and could help implement it, but I'm at a loss.

Back to the stack of medical history forms that are just one small part of our massive short-term international health insurance application...

-JLR

maybe this is my problem...

So in the course of my normal web-browsing this morning, I came across an ad for the new Mayo Clinic Diet book. MayoClinic.com has been my number one resource for researching illnesses and checking symptoms for years now, so I was curious what they'd say are the keys to weight loss and being able to maintain healthy body weight. As I scanned the preview, I noticed the following line as one of the 5 key habits to break:

No TV when eating-- and only as much TV time as exercise time.

Dang. Seriously, if I were able to incorporate that into my life I would not only be in much better shape, but I would probably lose weight to boot! I love my TV time, so a goal like that would really encourage me to get out and move so I could reward myself with TV time! (or actually, the equivalent of TV rerun time on the web, since I can't stand commercials.)

Definitely something to think about...

-JLR

Mixed Feelings

Today I found out that Jennifer Knapp has returned to the music scene. As one of her most faithful supporters in the late 90s and early 2000s, I always dreamed this day would come... but there is a hangup. There always is, isn't there? She has come back to the music scene, but is now a self-proclaimed lesbian. I struggled all afternoon (since reading a few articles online confirming both her return and her sexual status) to figure out how we should respond as Christians. I am a sinner in need of grace and I believe that grace should overflow onto others as well-- and I believe it does. The problem is that in reading Scripture I can't ignore that homosexuality is called sin. I get that we all deal with sin and that none of us is completely free of it this side of heaven. But I want to be free of it. I call it sin and I struggle against it and all that I do not want to do, as Paul wrote. I pray for God's abundant grace to cover it. So the issue is quite clearly that I disagree with Jennifer (and others) about whether or not homosexuality is actually sin. That's the heart of the issue.

So now I have to figure out how to reconcile my respect for Jennifer Knapp as an artist, a musician, and as one who was more than instrumental in my life-- both musically and in faith-- with disagreeing with her over some important parts of Scripture. Anyone have any wisdom to share?

btw, I read this blog post today and felt this guy had such a good perspective and balance between grace and truth. If you haven't been following this story, I'd recommend reading his blog and also checking out the Larry King interview on youtube.

-JLR

M's Bday Cakes #2 and #3

These pictures have been such a long time in coming! I finally downloaded the pics to my computer, so a blog post seemed appropriate. Pics from Micaiah's first cake this year can be found here.

Her second cake was for Micaiah's actual birthday. Tim's parents were visiting at the time and his mom has some dietary restrictions. This cake worked perfectly! The batter was simply 2 boxes cake mix, 2 cans of sprite zero and food coloring. The icing was cool whip (the fat-free, non-dairy kind) plus 2 packages of pudding mix. Super easy! Well, at least until the part where you divide it up and put it all together!

The process...
The birthday girl...

The inside rainbow swirl effect...
And for being a diet cake, it was really quite yummy!

Micaiah's third cake of this birthday season (gah!) was the fanciest. The cakes themselves were simple white and simple chocolate, but the decorating was what made it a beast of a cake. In keeping with the princess party theme, I had great ambitions for a castle cake. It wouldn't have been possible without the Wilton Castle Cake set, which included plastic towers, windows, doors, and directions for how to do this. I was also able to do some ahead of time, which helped a ton. Here's what we ended up with:

Adding the towers I had decorated the night before. (I hadn't thought to get the camera out before this!)
The final product and details...



Micaiah blowing out the candles at her party...
The cake tasted great and was so pretty. The only problem is that I wish I'd have had a way to anchor the turrets better. Throughout the party I kept hearing small crashes only to find that one or more of the turrets had fallen and needed some rigging.

After last year I was excited to 'raise the bar' since I knew I'd have more access to cake decorating resources (pans, consistent electricity, ingredients, etc.). After surviving this year I've made a commitment to 'lower the bar' for next year for my own sanity. :)

-JLR