Ode to flax seeds

I have eaten flax seeds before but I purchased them this past week because they were on sale. I have been adding them to my salads and other meals and my husband has been eating them too.

Flax seeds are better than flax oil which can go rancid quickly AND they are good for up to a year after opening the package. I store mine in the refrigerator.

They should be ground up for their optimal nutritional benefit but so far I have been too lazy for that. Since we don't drink coffee and have a coffee mill or spice grinder I would have to do it in the blender. I really do need to ground them up to get any value out of them...maybe I'll buy a spice grinder this weekend. That would come in handy...

These tiny seeds are packed with really great nutritional value...fiber, omega 3s, protein, antioxidants...

Too much of them are a bad thing. They contain cyanogen (cyanide) which keeps the thyroid from taking up enough iodine- a problem I do not need. When they aren't ground up they not only pass right through you but they can also cause cramping, especially for those with IBS or other similar issues. I need to be careful.

All in all, I think the good more than out weighs the bad when it comes to flax seeds.


Since I love smoothies so much here is a morning smoothie recipe.

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup milk (you can use soy, rice, almond, etc--I used to use soy, but it isn't good for the thyroid)
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
  
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 banana

Unplugging

I led a group session this past weekend in Tennessee about the spiritual disciplines. We discussed how we can open ourselves up to God so that God can direct us.

I talked about the idea of "unplugging" and found it really challenging to me.

Unplugging calls us to leave the virtual world of technology in order to be present to God and others. Doing this allows us to be fully present to and uninterrupted in one's interactions with God and others.

Deuteronomy 8:10-11 states "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God."

This is what can be done to unplug:
-unplug electronic devices that interrupt relationships
-refrain from the use of e-mail
-abstain from video recreation
-devote time and attention to others without interruption (no texting)
-communicate face to face rather than virtually (no texting)
-refuse to put sensitive human interaction into electronic form (facebook)
-have a no e-mail workday
-have an e-mail free weekend

Doing this allows one to settle into uninterrupted quiet time with Jesus.

Seven months and counting

I met with my trainer at the gym yesterday. She says I'm doing everything right. I met with the doctor today and my thyroid is doing great--1.7--so I really have nothing to complain about.

I am thankful that I have someone in my life who loves me no matter what my struggles are with weight or vanity and who supports me. We have been married a whole seven months today.

Thank you, God, for this gift you have given me in my best human friend and husband, Andy.

Contemporary Christian Music...WinterJam2010

I am not a big supporter of contemporary Christian music. I think too often the popular Christian bands compromise musicality and their lyrics are shallow at best. Music is too often focused on "me" and "I" and a lot of the lyrics aren't based in scripture. I mainly listen to Brooklyn Tabernacle or to old music that my husband likes.

Add to that the ever changing scene of bands breaking up, struggling with their own sin and addictions and it just isn't worth it to me...I gave up on Christian music before I was even fifteen. Haven't followed it much since.

I have been thinking about it though. The teens I work with all listen to really bad mainstream music. The lyrics, the violence, the message is just not healthy. Most of them are already struggling with depression, anger, eating disorders, the need to fit in and the need to be wanted. But what do I have to give them to listen to instead? Mediocre Christian rock bands with shallow theology in their lyrics? Is there any good Christian hip-hop around? What about a decent Christian band that makes young people think and not just feel good?

I'm stuck. We did talk about our church's hymnal and some of the beautiful treasures it contains--but that goes the other way--it's too deep for them right now. We spent like fifteen minutes explaining what "a bulwark never failing" means. That's only the first song in the book!

I tried to give Christian music another try at WinterJam here in Atlanta. Due to another church event this past weekend we couldn't bring our young people with us so we went--just the two of us. Complete with sandwich board guys out front (my favorite being "God loves" and "God hates" as it inaccurately judged homosexuals), youth groups, church vans, lots of Baptist people, and lots of middle class white people... Welcome to "mainstream" Christianity in the US.



It was loud. I felt old. Newsong is getting really old, but they are so gifted. Andy's highlight of the night was when they sang "Arise." I thoroughly enjoyed Third Day. Newsboys have gone through a lot of changes. They've added Michael Tait (the black guy from DC Talk) and sang "Jesus Freak" last night. They were alright, but nothing spectacular. There were only four of them in the band last night.

The Arena was sold out. They turned a little over 3,000 people away at the door. The concert was riddled with advertisements, buy this, donate to that, watch the video for this, etc..which has me thinking....is Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) popular because it's the "cool" thing to do as a young Christian?

When did Christianty cease being the unpopular thing to do? The thing that meant something because you had to sacrifice your all to Jesus? Something that meant you had to struggle to fit in with society because your life was something different (Romans 12:1-3)?

This is my prayer:

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.



Good thing it's all about love, about your heart, and not just about the music.

Why do we compare ourselves?: Pride and humility

I led devotions at work last Wednesday. We discussed pride and humility and why we feel the need to compare ourselves to other people and other things.


This quote is from Brennan Manning's book Relentless Trust

The more guilt and shame that we have buried within ourselves, the more compelled we feel to seek relief through sin. As we fixate our jaded motives and soiled conscience, our self-esteem sinks, and in a pernicious leap of logic, we think that we are finally learning humility.

On the contrary, a poor self-image reveals a lack of humility. Feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, inferiority, and self-hatred rivet our attention on ourselves. Humble men and women do not have a low opinion of themselves; they have no opinion of themselves, because they so rarely think about themselves. The heart of humility lies in undivided attention to God, a fascination with his beauty revealed in creation, a contemplative presence to each person who speaks to us, and a "de-selfing" of our plans, projects, ambitions, and soul. Humility is manifested in an indifference to our intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being and a carefree disregard of the image we present. No longer concerned with appearing to be good, we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are, aware of the sovereignty of God and of our absolute insufficiency and yet moved by a spirit of radical self-acceptance without concern.

Humble people are without pretense, free from any sense of spiritual superiority, and liberated from the need to be associated with persons of importance. The awareness of their spiritual emptiness does not disconcert them. Neither overly sensitive to criticism nor inflated by praise, they recognize their brokenness, acknowledge their gifts, and refuse to take themselves seriously. (pp. 120-121)

These are the lyrics to the song we listened to:

Cry For Humility


Lord I Cry For Humility
Crush the pride that has blinded me
Forgive my hidden faults and bring the fear of God
Until Your dread’s in me

CHORUS:
I will worship in Spirit and in Truth
Teach me discipline, to meditate on You
You gave up Your life, I must give my all to You
Remove the veil so I can see

Grant me grace to see my wickedness
You must increase while I become less
Keep Your servant from willful sin
So I’ll stand blameless before Your throne

Bible Study

The first week of re-focused goals has gone well. I'm sore from the gym, eating has gone fairly well, and devotion and Bible Study time is going well. Praise God for a week on the right track!

It's funny how your prayers are really answered at times. I have been praying for a few years for God to give me a genuine love of His Word. I didn't grow up in a Christian home and while I was very involved in my neighborhood church we didn't study the Bible a lot. We learned about Bible stories and had lots of programming, but we never really had in-depth Bible study that I could attend or that was available.

I knew going into seminary that one of my weakest subjects/areas would be Biblical knowledge. I wanted to know it and I wanted to study it, but I felt so discouraged about it. I began to pray about it as I began to study.

The truths in the Word of God excite me! There are so many treasures to be found and so much to learn. I love it! In Sunday School today I even had the opportunity to use my Biblical Hebrew. Now if I could only find someone to read Hebrew with me on a semi-regular basis...a prayer yet to be answered.

The preacher today began a sermon series on Titus (which is a difficult letter to preach through) and at church tonight a different preacher began a series on James (one of my favorite books). I have been studying Genesis in my private Bible Study time and the Sunday School material that I am responsible for at work is studying Daniel. That's a lot of Bible, and while it may be a little too much to really sink in at once, I am grateful for it!

Thank you, LORD, for giving me the freedom and the opportunity to study YOUR word. Now help me to live it!

Unexpected Blessings?

I have been contemplating about how I could be healthier both physically and spiritually in the new year.

I planned out our menu for dinner at home for the month in an attempt to make sure that we are eating healthier at home.

I started using a new Bible study tool and am studying with that at night while I do my devotions in the morning.

I will not only go to the gym, but will make an effort to build at least one relationship with someone at the gym.

Lofty goals to attain?

Yesterday was going to be the first day this all started. Until I went to the gym first thing in the morning, before doing my devotions--mistake number one.

The water fountain at the gym exploded one week ago today. I remember it because I was there when it happened. I haven't been back since (we did travel in that time) and I went yesterday morning only to find out that the wiring for all of the machines in the wellness center (one huge room) has been damaged. It's closed until they can re-wire the entire room. =NO GYM

I came home, thanked God for the blessing and had plenty of time to do my devotions with the resolve that I would attend the spinning class, held in a different room, later that night.

I received a phone call that a friend was coming to spend the night. We made arrangements for it earlier last month but I thought it was a different day. We were glad that she was here, but again.= NO GYM

I made shrimp stir fry for dinner and since the whole gym plan was blotched yesterday I decided I would drink coke with dinner instead of juice or water. None of us could get the cap off of the soda! It was on there so tightly that I eventually gave up.= NO SODA

Today is a new day full with possibility. I had a lovely time in my devotions this morning. Let's see what today brings!