I recently finished reading Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs. It’s an excellent book, though a little difficult to read due to the cramped printing (though it only comes to 99 pages because of it). Burroughs provides the Christian absolutely no excuse for not being content in Christ. To give you a little bit of flavor, I’ll list his 12 points on how to become content, found in the last chapter of the book. And this is only one chapter! I highly suggest you read it for yourself, with highlighter in hand to help find the main points.

1. The change has to come first on the inside.

2. Don’t be more involved in worldly things than you have to.

3. Make sure that you are where you are supposed to be.

4. Make it a habit of doing what you have been called to do.

5. Exercise faith!

6. Seek to be spiritually minded.

7. Don’t daydream of great things in your future.

8. Moritify your hearts to the world.

9. Don’t think too much on your afflictions.

10. Always assume God has the best of intentions for you.

11. Don’t conform your thoughts of what is right and good to what others think is right and good.

12. Don’t get caught up with the comforts of the world when you have them.

Originally posted 7-20-2007

1. Read the Bible twice through. 1532/2378 chapters = 64%

4. Save $2,000. Completed 3/15/2012

5. Publish The Journal. Completed 12/26/2011

6. __________. (find a new job) Completed 12/28/2011

9. Read 160 books. 102/160 = 64%

I read a *few* books this month. At this rate, I’ll be at my goal before the end of the summer…but I don’t really plan on keeping up this rate.

10. Read 5 classics. Completed 2/20/2012

12. Work a polling place during an election. Completed 10/11/2011

16. Make an author website. Completed 12/20/2011

18. Pray through Operation World. 17/246 = 7%

I’ve started making a more conscious effort to work this in to my day.

19. Spend time on Yom Kippur fasting, praying, and thinking. Completed 10/7/2011

20. Decorate my apartment for Christmas. Completed 11/25/2011

21. Meet my niece. Completed 12/27/2011

22. Write in my journal 100 times. Completed 2/23/2012

23. Make a baby blanket for Bean. Completed 11/9/2011

25. Write 70 encouraging letters or emails. 14/70 = 20%

30. Read the Qur’an and the Book of Mormon. Completed 4/20/2012

So, it’s only appropriate that I read A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars by Jonathan Merritt this past week. It’s actually not officially released until today, but Amazon shipped my copy early. I’m glad as I’ve looked forward to reading it. I’m tired of answering the question in the title of this blog post when I tell people I’m not a Republican.

For the record, no, I did not vote for Obama and will not likely to in November. Totally beside the point.

The author and I are of a generation that’s fed up with the political antics of the generations ahead of us, particular those in the Church. Why would the comment “Obama hates America” made by student in my elementary class be followed by nods from several of the other students? These are kids who have been raised to praise God and country (a Republican-led one, preferably).

The book starts and ends appropriately on reflecting on the legacy of Jerry Falwell. As a Liberty grad, it was something that Jonathan had to address. I have a hardtime swallowing the Falwell message, but I can’t say what I would have thought if I had come-of-age in the 1970s or 80s.

For the first half off the book, I did little but nod. Jonathan paints a picture of non-partisan views I’ve come to embrace alongside many in the Church in my generation.

The second-half of the book make it worth the read. Jonathan addresses a more loving response to those with same-sex attraction and issues of homosexuality in chapter 6. The next chapter, “Give Me the Songs of a Nation” is a chapter I wish anyone who doesn’t understand the political shift of Bible-believing Millenials would read. We aren’t rejection traditional evangelical battles like abortion and gay marriage; we just have come to recognize the need for faith to influence all of our political views.

I kinda wish the book ended there. For me, I agreed with so much up to that point that I didn’t find it challenging. I wish I could say the same for the last couple of chapters, but if I’m honest I have to admit I don’t put hands and feet to my beliefs as much as I should.

As a German minister serving the medically-needy in India said, “Christians in America and Germany forget that it is not what you think or how much power you have or how you vote that changes the world. It’s your hands that do the changing.” (p. 142)

That is exactly what I needed to read. I hope you’ll pick up this book and be challenged, too.

I myself have found most of my information about gardening from the web, from planting dates to the depths of containers needed. I also have had a great resource in my Dad, longtime gardener and definitely source of my green thumb.

I know there are many people, especially young urbanites, that would love to garden, but they don’t think they have the space. While I’m sure that there are some who absolutely have no way of managing it, I think that most of us can figure out something: balcony, windowsills, plant lights, etc.

What can you plant in containers?

Anything. Well, I’m sure that there are some things that wouldn’t work too well (like say, a tree), but for the most part, you can plant anything in a container garden that you might want. Some plants that I know do well in containers: lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, radishes, and herbs.

What kind of container do I need?

There’s no need to get fancy. The containers does need to have holes in the bottom for drainage, but you can always add these yourself with a knife. It’s also a good idea, particular in warmer areas, not to have a dark-colored container. These will make the soil quite warm in the sun and may fry the roots.

The size of the plant will also help determine the size of the pot needed. I plant my tomato plants in pots that are about 2 feet across and 2 feet deep. Lettuce and spinach grow great in window boxes. Root vegetables (onions, carrots, radishes, beets, etc.) will need to be in soil 10″ deep.

This 65-quart container is perfect for root vegetables like onions

“Real” pots can be expensive, but plastic tubs are perfectly usable, as I did with my onions this year. You will just need to add the holes in the bottom yourself.

Note that tomato plants will need cages/staking and other plants like peppers and vine plants do best staked.

What about soil, sun, and water?

I use potting soil, which is not necessarily cheap. You may be able to get some dirt from a cheaper source. The good thing is that you don’t have to buy new soil every year: I do a version of “crop rotation,” mixing the soil between containers and adding some fresh as I am always expanding my garden.

Plants also need to be “fed.” I use MiracleGro (because my daddy did), but I’m sure there are other good options out there. This is absolutely the secret to my 6′ tall tomato plants. I feed them every 1 or 2 weeks according to the instructions on the box.

As far as sun, follow the instructions that came with the plant or seeds. Most garden plants  like full sun (6+ hours a day). The good thing about planting in containers is that they are easy to move. In fact, last year I moved and took my full-grown garden with me!

Container plants need more water, as they lose it more quickly. My balcony is also covered, so my garden gets very little rain. In their early stages, they usually only need watering every other day, but once they get going, they must be watered daily. In the hottest part of the summer, depending on your location, you may even need to water twice a day.

It’s best to water in the cool parts of the day: early morning or late evening. If you do have to water during the day, do your best to avoid watering the plant itself, but just the soil around it.

Speaking of water, try collecting “waste” water for your plants. I keep a container in my sink that I put pasta water and water that has been sitting out in a glass all day. (Make sure you let the boiling water cool before pouring it on your plants!) I’ve even heard of putting a bucket in the shower, but I haven’t gone that hippie…yet.

When do I plant?

This varies greatly by location. You can usually follow the map found on the back of seed packets or do some research on your area online. I was able to find a document put out by our local university with very specific times to plant various plants which I found very helpful. My dad is a great gardening resource, but he’s never gardened in North Carolina!

Some plants can be started indoors. I always like to start cucumbers indoors. I’ve also started growing herbs indoors this year, but since I’ve never kept any herbs alive, I won’t give any advice in that. Some plants, like lettuce and spinach, don’t like the heat and need to be planted in the spring and fall in warmer areas. I’m going to try them indoors this summer as well, but since I haven’t yet done it, it’s still a bit of an experiment.

Well, that’s about all I have. I find gardening exciting and rewarding. I love watching my green babies grow up, and love that I can save some money and eat fresher veggies.

“…and Elfride felt it would be absurd to turn her little mare’s head the other way [back home]. ‘Still,’ she thought, ‘if I had a mamma at home I would go back!’

“And making one of those stealthy movements by which women let their hearts juggle with their brains, she did put the horse’s head about, as if unconsciously, and went at a hand-gallop towards home for more than a mile. By this time, fromthe inveterate habit of valuing what we have renounced directly the alternative is chosen, the thought of her forsaken Stephen recalled her, and she turned about, and cantered to St. Launce’s again.

“This miserable strife of thought now began to rage in all its wildness. Overwrought and trembling, she dropped the rein upon Pansy’s shoulders, and vowed she would be led whither the horse should take her….

“She was impatient. It seemed as if Pansy would never stop drinking; and the repose of the pool, and the idle motions of the insects and flies upon it, the placid waving of the flags, the leaf-skeletons, like Genoese filigree, placidly sleeping at the bottom, by their contrast with her own turmoil made her impatience greater.

“Pansy did turn at last, and went up the slope again to the high-road. The pony came upon it, and stood crosswise, looking up and down. Elfride’s heart throbbed erratically, and she thought, ‘Horses, if left to themselves, make for where they are best fed. Pansy will go home.’

“Pansy turned and walked on toward St. Launce’s.

“Pansy at home, during summer, had a little but grass to live on. After a run to St. Launce’s she always had a feed of corn to support her on the return journey. Therefore, being now more than half way, she preferred St. Launce’s.

“But Elfride did not remember this now. All she cared to recognize was a dreamy fancy that to-day’s rash action was not her own. She was disabled by her moods, and it seemed indispensable to adhere to the programme. So strangely involved are motives that, more than by her promise to Stephen, more even than by her love, she was forced on by a sense of the necessity of keeping faith with herself, as promised in the inane vow of ten minutes ago.”
p. 109-110

What makes this book so remarkable to me is the amount that I relate to the main character, Elfride. She is moved by her emotions, prone to rash decisions, and very unwise at times, yet I’ve never identified with any other character as much as I have with her. There are many characters that I’ve wanted to be: such as Mary Anne (The Babysitter’s Club), Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice), and Jo (Little Women), but I didn’t actually see myself in these characters. Yet this immature, emotionally Elfride (an ugly name, too!) I relate to!

Oh, and just in case you care, Elfride gets all the way to London and decides to back out of the elopement, which creates the possibility of scandal later when she wants to marry another man, Knight.

Originally posted 7-9-2007

Sally Hansen’s “Back to the Fuchsia” for those who care. I never thought I’d wear such a bright pink (again) but I keep seeing it around and wanted to wear it, too!

Surprised by Grace

In Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels, Tullian Tchividjian (yeah, I don’t know how to say that either) presents the book of Jonah. Yes, that’s all this book is about.

I say that’s “all” but that’s not really true. Ultimately, the book is about the Gospel or “God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels” as the subtitle indicates. In Jonah, we see that God doesn’t give up on the idolatrous nations…but neither does he give up on his wandering prophet.

I’ve always enjoyed the story of Jonah. Jonah comes across as so dense…he just didn’t get God’s plan. And really, I like Jonah because I identify with him. It’s just always easier to see someone else’s flaws than my own. I love how Tchividjian points out that there is a good chance the author of the book is Jonah himself. If so, we know that he must have finally gotten at some point. Otherwise, it would have been full of excuses!

I think one of my favorite things about this book is that Tchividjian is he draws on representations of Jonah in art. There’s a whole section of pictures, all referred to and discussed in the text. In this visual culture, I think that’s very important. Besides, it’s refreshing given the traditional discounting of the fine arts in evangelicalism. I think he handles them in an appropriate, balanced way, using the images to draw attention to particular aspects of the story or Jonah’s character.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of whether or not they’re familiar with the book of Jonah. It would serve as both a good introduction as well as a good reminder.

Now I need to get my hands on more of Tchividjian’s books!

I planted most things 3 weeks ago. The spinach, lettuce, and herbs were already planted about a month before that.

3 of my young tomato plants...they're so small!

This year I’ve decided to up my tomato plants to 4. Four is absolutely the most I can lean up against the building (the usually calm North Carolina wind can occasionally whip around the corner of the building, so they really need this). In fact, once they’re full size, there’s a decent chance they’ll take over my balcony and keep me from going out there altogether. I guess we’ll see!

My Pepper plants are just peeking out from behind the spinach and lettuce

I have also added a red pepper plant to the my green pepper plant. Since peppers are so expensive, this seems like an obvious money saver.

My onions. Should have taken a more recent picture, as they're now several inches tall.

Another new addition to my garden this year: onions! I really regretted not planting onions last year, so I decided to rectify it. I found a leftover, lidless, Christmas-decoration box at Walmart for $6 that was just perfect. I cut holes in the bottom, filled with dirt, and I was good to go. I planted the onion seeds (bulbs?) closer together than I should have so that I’d have extras to cut for green onions. I love onion…

I’ve also been growing a few herbs from seed. This will be my 3rd attempt at cilantro. It’s always wilted when it got warm, so I’ve decided to grow it inside this year. I won’t be using A/C until I have to so it’ll still be decently warm inside, but I hope that being in a shadier spot inside will help it.

Do you garden? Are you trying anything new this year?

Or at least that’s how I want to come across. Lately though, God has been showing me that this is a matter of pride. Through teaching at church both Sunday morning and night and in personal time in God’s Word, the Bible, this has been the overarching theme that God has been making very clear to me. I need Him every moment of everyday, because I truthfully do not know what to say and do in every circumstance. Any “natural” ability I may have was already given by my Creator, and He is constantly providing me with spiritual help where I lack. I need His grace to handle every minute in a way that is honoring to Him.

This week I’m helping out with Power Camp, a sports camp put together by the FCA and my church. I’m responsible for leading the devotions for a group of about 15 children entering the 4th-7th grades, almost exclusively from the community. Because of work, I am only with the kids for the second half of camp, so I was quite frazzled yesterday as I tried to figure out how to handle it. This is certainly a situation where I need to rely on God for wisdom and patience, strength and boldness.

Please pray for these children that God would be working in their hearts. They have a great opportunity to hear the Gospel, study the Word, and interact personally with believers. There’s a good chance that some of these children have never been able to do any of those things before. I would also appreciate prayers for me that God would give me the words to say and the patience to show Christ’s love for them.

Originally posted 6-26-2007

I’ve had my most recent blog design for over 2 years…it was time for a change. I hope you like it like I do. If you see anything funky, let me know!