Well, I've finally been shamed into posting again. My absence is due to a myriad of reasons - a brief 'blogging-is-dead' phase, facebook sucking away my life, recent job changes, combined with having a Really Fun Person to hang out with at home. In truth, I enjoyed the silence. So much of life is filled with noise, and information that's up-to-the-second accurate. A lot of that stuff is Important, whereas most of what I blog about is Unimportant. Really, I've been doing you all a favour by giving you back the time you would have spent checking my blog.
Surprisingly, this post isn't due to certain folks insinuating that I haven't posted since 1999 (as if the interWeb existed then). Nor is it due to my amazing husband (see Really Fun Person above) posting a super-sweet entry about my sermon at WBB this morning. It's just about that sermon. Period.
If I said anything of worth this morning it truely was through Christ alone - 7:30am is much to early for thinky type thoughts, let alone thoughts on Romans 15:14-33. But one thing that did strike me this week was Paul's word usage. In v. 26, Paul notes that the Macedonian and Achian Gentiles have made a for the poor Christian Jews in Jerusalem. But the word Paul uses to describe the 'contribution' is koinonia, a word which is more often rendered to mean 'fellowship' than it is to mean 'contribution'. (See Acts 2:42 for example.) Furthermore, the Jerusalem Jews were struggling with the integration of the Gentiles into their religion, combined with their mistrust of Paul due to rumors that he was luring Jews away from their customs. At yet, Paul tells us, the Gentiles were pleased to give both their material blessings and their fellowship to the Jerusalem Jews.
As Andrew mentioned, I think this sheds light on the duty / joy that authentic Christian communities have to give, to share, and to love.
3.20.2007
12.07.2006
we covet
Now that we actually have a good apartment, I find it extremely funny that Andrew covets all the other appartments in the house. We'll be walking along the side street and he'll say, "Heeeyyy, look at the one in the back! They have a deck!" Or, "Look at the one at the front, they have Chrismas lights!" We've already talked about moving to the apartment behind us, were it to become available. It's a two bedroom. (The othe other bedroom's would be for the cat.) Mind you, I suppose Andrew's coveting of the other apartments is on par with my coveting other people's mail. For the last week (week!) Miss Sonja Little has had mail sitting on the ledge. Does she even live here!? It makes me want to open her mail. Especially on days like today when I didn't get any.
Oh, and hey, we're leaving for BC in only 8 days! Hello snow and hot tubs!
Oh, and hey, we're leaving for BC in only 8 days! Hello snow and hot tubs!
12.06.2006
upstairs inspirations
So we moved. Into a place just upstairs of where we were before. We now have a pantry so I feel like a real wife. Other benefits of the new place include a billion more inches of closet space, exposed brick (complete with covered up fireplace), and room to walk between the bed and the dresser. Trust me it's awesome.
We spent the weekend settling in to the new place. I love it so much I was inspired to get up early Sunday morning and make banana bread even before brunch. Then, to use up a large amount of our cabbage in one fell swoop, I made a big pot of borscht. The good kind. If you're looking for the secret Kootenay Dukabor Borscht recipe, here it is below. (And PS, it IS wonderful.)
In other news, can I just say it is REALLY hard to keep secrets - even Christmas secrets - from someone who you love, usually tell secrets to and happen to live with. Gah! Good thing we're doing our little Christmas next week so I don't have to wait too long.
Borsht for Fifty (Mary Hoodicoff)
16 cups water
1/2 lb & 1 tbsp butter
6 cups tomatoes, canned
1 1/3 tsp salt
1 medium beet
1 medium carrot
7-8 potatoes
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 cup chopped onions
8 cups chopped cabbage
1 medium green pepper
1 tbsp dill, chopped fine
2 green onions, chopped fine
black pepper
Fill pot with water and put to boil. In large frying pan, put in 1/4 cup butter and 3 cups tomatoes and let simmer. Into smaller frying pan also put 1/4 cup butter and 3 cups tomatoes and let simmer. Add salt to the boiling water. Chop carrot fine and also chop 1 tbsp beet fine, add the carrots, beets and remaining of whole beet to the boiling water. Peel potatoes and cut in half and add to water saving enough potatoes to make 1 cup diced to add later. Add a little more than half of the cream to the water and continue to boil. Next, add simmered tomatoes from large fry pan to the boiling water and vegetables in pot and continue cooking til the potatoes are cooked but not too soft. In the meantime, put 1/2 cup butter into large pan, add chopped onions and fry til onions are transparent then add 4 cups shredded cabbage. Continue to saute but do not brown. Take cooked potatoes from pot, also the whole beet (beet may be discarded). Add the diced potatoes to pot of boiling water. Mash potatoes, add 1 tbsp butter and the remaining cream. Set aside. Add the remainder of the cabbage to pot and watch closely so it does not boil. Turn off head and slowly add mashed potato mixture, followed by the remainder of tomatoes and fried cabbage and onions. Add chopped green pepper and a dash of black pepper, green onions and dill sprinkled on top.
We spent the weekend settling in to the new place. I love it so much I was inspired to get up early Sunday morning and make banana bread even before brunch. Then, to use up a large amount of our cabbage in one fell swoop, I made a big pot of borscht. The good kind. If you're looking for the secret Kootenay Dukabor Borscht recipe, here it is below. (And PS, it IS wonderful.)
In other news, can I just say it is REALLY hard to keep secrets - even Christmas secrets - from someone who you love, usually tell secrets to and happen to live with. Gah! Good thing we're doing our little Christmas next week so I don't have to wait too long.
Borsht for Fifty (Mary Hoodicoff)
16 cups water
1/2 lb & 1 tbsp butter
6 cups tomatoes, canned
1 1/3 tsp salt
1 medium beet
1 medium carrot
7-8 potatoes
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 cup chopped onions
8 cups chopped cabbage
1 medium green pepper
1 tbsp dill, chopped fine
2 green onions, chopped fine
black pepper
Fill pot with water and put to boil. In large frying pan, put in 1/4 cup butter and 3 cups tomatoes and let simmer. Into smaller frying pan also put 1/4 cup butter and 3 cups tomatoes and let simmer. Add salt to the boiling water. Chop carrot fine and also chop 1 tbsp beet fine, add the carrots, beets and remaining of whole beet to the boiling water. Peel potatoes and cut in half and add to water saving enough potatoes to make 1 cup diced to add later. Add a little more than half of the cream to the water and continue to boil. Next, add simmered tomatoes from large fry pan to the boiling water and vegetables in pot and continue cooking til the potatoes are cooked but not too soft. In the meantime, put 1/2 cup butter into large pan, add chopped onions and fry til onions are transparent then add 4 cups shredded cabbage. Continue to saute but do not brown. Take cooked potatoes from pot, also the whole beet (beet may be discarded). Add the diced potatoes to pot of boiling water. Mash potatoes, add 1 tbsp butter and the remaining cream. Set aside. Add the remainder of the cabbage to pot and watch closely so it does not boil. Turn off head and slowly add mashed potato mixture, followed by the remainder of tomatoes and fried cabbage and onions. Add chopped green pepper and a dash of black pepper, green onions and dill sprinkled on top.
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