Seeking to Glorify

On Priorities

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Anne Ortlund's The Gentle Ways of the Beautiful Woman establishes life's priorities as God, Church, the Poor.

"Your physical family is precious, but they are temporary - for this world only. Your spiritual family is eternal.... A deep prayer life with, and accountability to, some close members of the spiritual family can help make your relationship with your physical family what it ought to be." (p. 24)

"...the New Testament epistles...tell us to use our gifts to nourish the Body of Christ, and draw our nourishment from the Body so that all the adult singles, young people without Christian parents, and marrieds without Christian spouses will feel just as cared for and loved an nourished as anyone else in God's beautiful forever-family. And when we're loved and fed and prayed for there, our lacks and needs in our physical family relationships will be wonderfully met." (p. 25)

I've been reflecting on this, and though I see Ortlund's point that when the church is functioning properly the individual's needs are met within the larger community of the church, I think if we fail to serve our families before serving those in the church then we risk too much.

We risk frustration and anger among family members.
We risk losing opportunities to serve one another.

Another thought I have is that placing the responsibility of being loved and cared for upon the Body of Christ simply places them in a position to do what only God can do. Not even our family can do this completely. Not our husbands. Not our children. Not our parents. Not our friends. Only God.

What are your thoughts?

On the Toilet and the Sovereignty of God

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:40:00 +0000

There were some spiritual truths that emerged from the "john" today.

A series of events led to the toilet in the master bath becoming clogged last night (I will spare you the details of the events that preceded the overflowing of the toilet). The intensity of the situation was heightened by the fact that we had been traveling in a car for five hours - cranky kids, stomach aches, and having eaten too much during an early Thanksgiving celebration.

My husband explained that after his seminary classes he would like for me to let him know if the toilet remained clogged so that he could buy a plunger if it proved to be necessary. In the morning, the potty water had receded. However, the porcelain throne had been flushed yet again, complicating the plumbing problems.

When Lee arrived home I asked lovingly (of course) if he had remembered to purchase a plunger. He reminded me that I had not let him know that there was still commotion with the commode. I, being the self-sufficient woman that I am, decided to tackle the turds with my weapon of choice - a toilet brush. Surely I could loosen the clogs with a toilet brush and flush it all on down. or. not.

There I am, hovering over the thing, brush in one hand, and the other hand trying to maneuver the mechanisms to keep the muddy water from mucking over. "Lee!" I call, just as the slop goes spilling over the rim. "HELP, PLEASE!"

"What happened?"
"I need a plunger!"
"There is no plunger."

"GO TO THE STORE AND BUY ONE!" (Thinking I can stand there holding everything in place so as not to allow another drop to fall on the carpeted - yes, carpeted - bathroom floor while he runs to the store... We live in the middle.of.nowhere, People. What was I thinking??? I'm pretty smart, aren't I?)

There was no plunger at the store either.

30 minutes later, he returned home with a plunger he borrowed.

Like the true hero of the story, he slays the sewage with the proper sword, and our commode commotion comes to a close.

And then later he prays, "Thank you, Lord, that you are in control, even when the toilet overflows."

On Audiobooks

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:59:00 +0000

I have discovered the wonderful world of audiobooks. Do you know how much more "reading" one can get done thanks to this amazing discovery?

I can "read":

While I'm getting ready for the day.
While I'm cooking dinner.
While I'm changing a diaper.
While I'm doing dishes.
While I'm exercising.

I am the ultimate multi-tasker! (read in a voice as if introducing Super{wo}Man.)

I used to think that if you listened to an audiobook it didn't count as really reading the book. How silly of me! I've been missing out on this valuable resource because of my literate way of thinking about the way information is acquired.

I've been reading Pilgrim's Progress lately. For F-R-E-E. (I still have not brought myself to the point of actually purchasing an audiobook.) Podcasts are another amazing resource, especially when money is tight or the availability of books is scarce, like, you know...when you live overseas. John Piper's Desiring God is available to download for free this month at ChristianAudio.com.

I am actually going to have time to read all of the classics I've been wanting to read for so many years. lamentingly: If only I had discovered this while I was in college!!!

On a Recipe for Caramel Apple Dip

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:25:00 +0000

A friend of ours shared some great caramel apple dip with us this weekend. I can't remember the proportions exactly, so I just experimented and here's what I did (it's SUPER easy...I'm almost embarrassed to even call it a "recipe".):

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups yogurt (to taste)

Melt the butter and cream it together with the brown sugar. Mix with the yogurt and serve with apple slices.

Delicious! And perfect for setting a fall mood, even if it's not cold outside. Thanks for the recipe, Natalie.

And on another note, If you haven't visited Megan's site, American Khanna, you need to! Great recipes using ingredients you can totally find in India (and most places around the globe).

Chicken and Dumplings

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:55:00 +0000

I wanted to repost this recipe from my old blog for the sake of convenience. I'm making it tonight for dinner.

Chicken and Dumplings

Fill a 3 quart pot with water about 3/4ths of the way.
Add 3-4 Tbsp chicken bouillon
Add 1 or 2 chopped onions
Add 4 chicken quarters or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours

If you used chicken quarters, remove them and set them aside to cool, reserving the broth. If you used chicken breasts you can just add the dumplings to the broth and meat without removing it. At this point, add more water to refill the pot if needed and add one more tablespoon of chicken bouillon.

4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp of salt
2 cups milk

Mix and drop by spoonfuls into the broth. Simmer for 20-30 more minutes. If you used boned chicken, remove the chicken from the bones after it has cooled. Add chicken during the last 10 minutes. Enjoy!

On Proverbs 12:15

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:40:00 +0000

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 12:15

That's what Titus 2 is about (in part)...listening to godly women who are a season or two (or even half a season) ahead of us. And allowing them to give us some instruction and guidance as to what they have learned through their own experiences.

(On a side note: I've always wanted to frame this verse and display it on my office wall - you know, that one where I am a private practice marriage and family counselor.)

Any other insights into this verse?

On Some Books

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:42:00 +0000

I just wanted to give a quick update on some books I've been reading. Here's the list and some very brief thoughts:

For Matrimonial Purposes by Kavita Daswani

My sister-in-law picked this book up for a couple bucks because the Indian theme caught her attention.
It was an easy read but has some bad language in it.
Daswani hits on some deep cultural issues related to marriage that gave me a better understanding of Hinduism and Indian women.

Dorothy Carey: The Tragic and Untold Story of Mrs. William Carey by James R. Beck

I'm in the middle of this one and it is quite intriguing (checked it out from OBU's library).
I totally understand why she went crazy.
I think India can do that to a person.

Life's Healing Choices by John Baker

We're going through this study in small groups at church.
The author is the one who started Celebrate Recovery. The book is based on a sermon series by Rick Warren.
So far, so good. (We're only on chapter two.)

Seeking Him: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom

This is the study that the women's Bible study at church is working through. I decided to jump in last week even though they had been meeting for 4 or 5 weeks. I caught up in a week...
Some serious repenting was done by yours truly in a matter of days because of the Spirit using this study.

Intimate Issues: 21 Questions Christian Women Ask About S*x by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus

I needed to read chapter 1.
That's about all I'm going to say about that.
For more information on the book, click on the link.

Wow. That was choppy. Anyway...just wanted to share some good reads.

On Unbelief

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:20:00 +0000

A recent assignment in a study I am undertaking led me to reflect on some negative issues. (I know that's vague. VERY vague. And it is intentionally so. But stay with me.) But God used it to show me His grace.

There are many things in this world that can overtake us:

divorce
alcoholism
obesity
depression
anxiety
controlling tendencies
addictions

But God can and does give us the grace to overcome these things if we only trust Him. To avoid sounding cliche', let me be practical here. The lack of trust is a form of unbelief; unbelief is the root of all sin. If we do not believe marriage is a picture of God's relationship with the Church, then divorce often results. If we do not believe God can comfort us, alcoholism, obesity and other addictions will be the outcome of our attempts at finding comfort elsewhere. If we do not believe God has our good in mind, has a plan to prosper us, a design to make us more like Him, depression and anxiety set in. If we do not believe that God uses every single moment to work for our sanctification, we will seek to control people, situations, and circumstances.

It is first of all grace that saves us. It is belief in that grace that continues to refine us.

And as we behold that grace, we are being made whole. (John Piper)

[photo: Sunset in Goa]

On Indian Marriage and Death

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:57:00 +0000

I just had to share this video with you! I love how it shows some cultural issues regarding marriage and death.

On Playing Around with The Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:33:00 +0000

I played around with The Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions tonight, and here's what happened:

Very fun, isn't it? I think that last one could pass as a photo of Asha's great-grandmother. Only, I don't have a photo of Asha's great-grandmother sitting on a horse. (Mom, if you've got one, I'd love to see it!)

On Managing My Time Well (a review of Managers of Their Homes)

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Being the mother of three children has really stretched my time management skills. Simply put: I've tried to organize my time but have never quite seemed to manage it very well.

I had heard about Managers of Their Homes (MOTH) from several sources, but I finally decided to order it when I received my Sonlight curriculum that had a bookmark enclosed advertising the Titus 2 website.

I dug right in and started reading. You know me...I'm a sucker for all things organized! MOTH is a resource I would recommend to anyone who wants to manage their time well, whether you enjoy organization or hate it, homeschool or don't.

Over the course of the past week, I carried this book with me everywhere (as those of you who were at the family reunion can testify). I examined my priorities and goals. (In fact, this was a repeated theme over the entire month! Mark Driscoll has an excellent sermon on planning that I worked through.) And I wrote out several activity lists. I recognized I need to prune out some activities, but the Lord wanted me to take it even further.
One of the steps to creating my schedule in MOTH was to list out all of the tasks I believe that God wants me to accomplish in a day and to write out an amount of time I think it will take to accomplish each task. As I began to make this list, I realized where large portions of my time are being spent. I felt the Lord leading me to prune some of these areas and to not only eliminate certain activities but to reduce the amount of time I spend on others. Let me just say this has not been an easy thing and it kinda hurts!

But today, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I finished the final schedule and even implemented parts of it today. I'll try to get the remainder of the schedule into action over the next few days. I'm really looking forward to managing my time well, and so far Managers of Their Homes works for me.

Aren't the colors so pretty? :) I think it's my favorite thing about the whole system!

I also love the ideas they give to assign time for the kids to have one-on-one play time as well as designated times to play alone. Shanti really likes the idea of having a special time that she can play with paper dolls all by herself, without worrying that her little sisters will rip them up.

On a Granola Recipe for the Crockpot

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Since I've been thinking about menus, I wanted to share another recipe with you. This is one I'm pretty sure I got from Jessica's food blog, but I can't seem to find it again, so, if you can find it, let me know (or if you're reading this, Jessica, can you leave the link in the comments, please?)

Crockpot Granola

1 cup of oil or melted butter
1 cup of honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups of oats - not quick cooking
1 cup of coconut (optional)

1. Make sure you keep the cover of the crockpot cracked or off. Cook on low for 5 hours or until brown, stirring occasionally. The more frequently you stir, the finer the consistency. If you prefer clumpier granola stir less. (Or leave the lid off of the crockpot and cook on low overnight, being sure to stir often while you're still awake.)

2. Add raisins, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips...whatever you desire after the granola is ready.

3. This is delicious as a hot or cold cereal, as a snack, a topping for yogurt or made into granola bars.

I made this a couple nights ago and we had it for breakfast the next morning without adding anything (not even the coconut because I didn't have any. It was delicious just as it is (although coconut would have made it even better, and Lee suggested adding nuts)! Even the kids wanted seconds. :) The bottom was a little overcooked I think because I used a smaller crockpot, so today for snack, we sprinkled it on top of our yogurt at snack time. YUM!

If you don't have a crockpot, you must get one! For those of you living in Asia, crockpots for 240 volts are available in Thailand (at Central in Bangkok) and are relatively inexpensive. Well worth the money investment because of all the time it can save you. Crockpots are your friend!

Do you have any crockpot recipes you could share?
(Preferably recipes that do not contain prepackaged items or pork or beef.)

On A Recipe for Burger Buns

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Here's a recipe I use for burger buns or even just as dinner rolls.

Burger Buns

Ingredients

2 cups milk

1/4 cup margarine, melted

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

2 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast

2 teaspoons salt

6 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed (I use 3 cups white, 3 cups wheat)

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water.
In a large bowl, stir together the milk, margarine, warm water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for about 5 minutes.
Mix in the salt, and gradually stir in the flour until you have a soft dough. Divide into 25 pieces, and form into balls. Place on baking sheets so they are 2 to 3 inches apart.
Let rise for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the rolls for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool slightly, then split them in half horizontally to fill with your favorite burgers.

While I've got you here for a recipe, can you tell me how you organize your menus? I still haven't quite gotten this down yet, so I'd love some ideas!

On a Purpose Statement

shannonbe@gmail.com (Shannon) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:35:00 +0000

I guess I owe you an explanation...
I've recently been reconsidering the purpose of my blog:

Who is it that I'm talking to?
What are my intentions for blogging?
What is it that I'm really trying to talk about?

I think the first question can be answered this way:

Some of you live in South Asia and some of you don't.
Some of you are personal friends or family, others of you I may know through a friend.
Some of you are just part of the blogging world and have stumbled on my blog one way or another.
Anyone I missed in there?

My intention for blogging is to encourage and receive encouragement from other women (especially, but not limited to, those living overseas) as we discuss the things we're all learning. That means you play a vital role in this blog's success.

The third question can probably only be answered as my posts are written. Hopefully I write decently enough that you can at least figure out what it is that I'm trying to say. If not, I should quit while I'm ahead. But in general, "how God is using life overseas, marriage and motherhood to change me" is exactly what I plan to discuss here. I want to use my blog to share about:

what life is like in South Asia.
resources (namely books including the Bible, links to great posts on other blogs, recipes, and such) and what I've learned from them that I've found to help me grow as a wife.
ideas and encouragement for mothering our children well, including resources I come across. (I'll post on practical homeschooling ideas and just what we're learning in "school" on our learning blog.)

So, if you're ready to join me in this blogging adventure, make yourself a cup of chai, grab a button from the sidebar for your own blog, and let's chat.