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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Come and Dine.

I love leftovers. I always have. In my fridge or in yours, I'm not picky.

A positive consequence of entertaining friends for a meal is that the leftovers remain with me. (And sometimes theirs do as well!)

I only make what I like, so apart from the actual enjoyment of feeding guests, the following day I can rummage through the plastic containers to revisit the delicacies of the night before.

Right now in my little fridge are stacked tiny containers with:
  • salmon
  • mashed potatoes
  • peas
  • spinach & mushroom salad
  • cheese sauce
  • pecan pie (brought by guests!)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Pur-pur-Purple

Yep, it's purple. Well, blue-ish purple. I convinced one student that it's mood-hair colour. You know like the mood-rings that were popular a while ago... changing shade depending on my emotional state.

Wouldn't that be great? And yes, a bit frightening!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

One of these things is not like the other...

Remember the Highlights magazines?

I loved them.

Absolutely.

Finding smaller items hidden in a full page picture.
Twisting the riddles around in my brain to come up with the correct responses.
Inspecting two almost identical sketches and finding the differences.Now I've got one for you> comparing three images and finding what the commonality is:

Minnesota Vikings

International Baptist Theological Seminary

V's new do.


Good luck!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Tranquility and Vapor Management

This weekend I was deliberate in my Sunday morning church choice knowing that the preaching at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville is scriptural, insightful and real. What I needed. (Plus, if you get there early enough you can grab a cup of coffee and a quarter of a bagel.)

In January, Mars Hill began a series on the wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes. Though not a faithful participant of this mega-church’s congregation I was fortunate to hear and learn from sermon one of the series; the poignancy of the symbolism and the lesson still today reverberating in my memory.

Within the last two weeks I’ve gradually become consumed with thoughts, plans and worries so much that a knot was developing in my gut. Unfounded and unnecessary, but present; thus invoking my decision to attend Mars Hill’s exposition of another text from Ecclesiastes.

Rob Bell and the Holy Spirit came through for me.

Without rehashing the sermon for you and doing an injustice to the eloquence and insight of Rob, I’ll just say the knot in my stomach is unwinding as I trust God in my and other’s decisions and rest in the leading of the Spirit as we move forward with perseverance and tranquility.

If you have a few minutes (and if you don’t, you should) please allow yourself opportunity to engage in the homiletical skill of Rob and the convicting exhortation of the Spirit.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Blizzard Benefits

Today was a snow day for most of West Michigan and beyond. "Snow day" meaning schools and some businesses were canceled because the snow made it impossible to move beyond your front door.

It was absolutely delightful. At 22.00 (10pm) yesterday evening, we were informed that Calvin (who never closes) had shut its doors for Wednesday and thus began my 'Friday night' planning to stay up late, sleep in (but not too much to miss enjoying a day off) and enjoy my free mid-week Saturday.

It was successful planning. During this day away from the office I:

~sorted out a few work e-mails to lighten the load for Thursday's return to the office. I'm convinced that if Calvin incorporated one day a week in which staff could stay home, do e-mails in cozy clothes with a cup of hot chocolate at hand and a dog at their feet, productivity and staff morale would be through the roof.

~learned this greyhound loves to play in the snow. I so wish I could have videoed him diving over huge snow piles which I was hiding behind, bounding through snowdrifts and digging into the fluffy white stuff with fervor. I know I'm not supposed to let him off his leash, but it was so much fun and so far whenever I've hollered, "Silas, come here, I have a treat." without hesitation he comes racing in my direction - which can be slightly unsettling because a greyhound doesn't really stop too well on ice.

~visited the gym which is only a 5 minute walk from my apartment and nearly empty today. I ran five miles whilst watching some incredibly poorly scripted and acted daytime TV dramas. This was followed by resting in their leather couches, drinking their free, freshly brewed coffee and munching on cornbread I carried along for a treat.

~invited my parents over with shovels in hand to help un-snow my little Honda which had disappeared in the blizzard. At this point I was very thankful for a small car and apartment complex who cleared the lot and I just needed to release my car from the snow piles surrounding it.

~ate and drank some tasty morsels in my freezer and cupboard whilst sorting through a few more e-mails and watching some a bit better quality TV dramas via the internet and snooping through friends' blogs and Facebook pages.

~finished the evening with a warming drink and the company of Robert Louis Stevenson.

All in all, I enjoyed today to its fullest knowing the rarity that such a day will come again. Thank you, VPA of CTS for making the long cold days of our Michigan winter that much more bearable.